A person was walking along a bushy passage in an Indian village when he accidentally stepped on a poisonous snake and was bitten by it. He cried aloud. People rushed to the scene and carried the victim to the main road expecting to get a vehicle to carry the victim to the nearest hospital. Meanwhile some of the villagers spotted the snake. They threw stones at it and then beat it with sticks till it became motionless and apparently dead. They quickly transferred the snake into a briefcase and entrusted it to the persons who accompanied the victim to the hospital. They hoped that the treatment would be more specific and effective if the type of snake was known by an examination of the dead snake.
On arriving at the hospital, the patient was shifted to the casualty room. The briefcase carrying the beaten snake was placed near the door of the casualty. The doctor informed that he would examine the specimen after examining the victim and administering the essential treatments to save the victim’s life. The bystanders were anxiously waiting outside, actively discussing the tragedy.
A thief was wandering through the hospital hoping to steal some valuable belongings of the patients. The briefcase placed near the casualty door caught his attention. When no one was noticing him, he snatched the briefcase and swiftly moved out of the hospital. Reaching a lonely spot, he opened the suitcase expecting a fortune. But unfortunately, the wounded snake gave a sharp bite on the hands of the thief and wounded him. He cried aloud, but there was no one in the isolated spot to hear his cry. He fainted, fell down and met his death without receiving any medical care.
The wise king, Solomon, teaches us, “Wealth that you get by dishonesty will do you no good, but honesty can save your life. It is better to have a little, honestly earned, than to have a large income gained dishonestly.”
The sin of stealing includes dishonest business practices, cheating, evading of taxes, refusing to repay debts, plagiarism and keeping unauthorised property.
We take every effort to preserve our treasure on earth. We waste a major share of our time, health and energy to amass fame, wealth and glory. Jesus Christ taught, “No one can be a slave of two masters; he will hate one and love the other; he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
The love of money is a source of all evil. Money may fetch us amusement, but not happiness; a bed, but not sleep; books, but not brains; a car, but not safety; companions, but not friends; education, but not wisdom; flattery, but not respect; food, but not appetite; a house but not a home; luxuries, but not culture; medicines, but not health; ornaments, but not beauty; a violin, but not music. Money is like sea water; the more we drink, the thirstier we get.
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