From the Pulpit: How good are you?

Jesus said, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13)

The question posed to us today is: “How good are you?” 

Now that we have our answer firmly fixed in our minds, let’s go back a couple of years to a newsfeed story about a Las Vegas taxi driver named Gerardo Gamboa. 

One day as Gerardo was driving his cab he picked up a passenger and delivered him to his destination. Departing the cab, the man gave Gerardo a pretty standard $5.00 tip. 

While Gerardo was cruising the streets for another fare, he noticed a paper bag sitting on the back seat of his cab. So naturally, Gerardo found a safe place to park the cab. He then took the bag, opened it, and peered inside. To his amazement, he discovered 6, rather large stacks of $100.00 bills which according to his count amounted to $300,000.00.

Now nobody could prove the man had left the money in the cab. And, if the gambler made an accusation, it would be one man’s word against another. And, it’s not as if the man had been all that generous with his tip. With $300,000.00 in the paper bag, the man could have afforded more.

So let me ask you, “What would you do with the money in the paper bag?”

Would you turn the money in? Would you bury it? Would you spend it? Would you give it to a friend for safe keeping? Would you give it to your church as a Mission Offering? 

I know that turning it in would be the correct answer. And, I’m hoping that the answer you also chose. However, with human nature being human nature, wouldn’t it be more like “What bag? I didn’t see no bag. No bag has ever been left in my cab.” 

All of this is a way of saying that the Lord Jesus is serious when He told us we should pray about being delivered from temptation and evil. Both are real and both have been successful in causing Christians to stumble and fall.

Read through the Bible and you will see find many examples of those who caved in to temptation designed for their personal interests. Read through the Gospels and you will be shown Jesus who resisted all the temptations which has managed to be our downfalls. 

Read and be thankful for the blood-bought deliverance Jesus has given.

By the way, the cash was delivered to the man, and the man rewarded the honest Gerardo with a 5-figured thank you gift. It was a real nice reward, but in my humble belief, not as nice as having glorified the Lord by resisting temptation.