A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck . This belief was handed down from one generation to the other. I must admit that when I was young, I had a slight ‘fear’ of these days because my mind was clouded with unfounded viewpoints. But when I grew up and got to know the realities of faith, I found out that there is no such thing as “LUCK” for everything falls under the sovereignty of a God almighty. Therefore, everything has a purpose!
Here’s a thought that best expounds my point.
A taxi driver recently found over $10,000 in an envelope left at the backseat of his cab. He was faced with a dilemma we all would face, turn it in, or keep it. He went to the radio station and called the attention of the passenger who left it. Eventually, the owner came and happily claimed his money. He gave the taxi driver a small reward. Several days later, the taxi driver won the lotto and collected an amount 4x the amount he returned!
Did God reward him for his good deed? I think many of us would be tempted to respond, "Yes, one good turn deserves another, and God saw his good deed and repaid him with a good turn in his favor." Let us not say this too fast. Let's deliberate and ponder a little.
Was the act of turning in the money really a good deed, or was it the right thing to do? We often give ourselves and others more credit than either of us deserve. To turn in the money was simply the right thing to do. It was, on his part, a moral act of honesty. There is really nothing that deserves merit when someone does what he or she should do. It is exactly what should be done and therefore it is expected.
This is not how the world works. It is however, how the world should work. Doing the right thing is not a common thing. That is why when a man finds a huge wad of cash on the street and does the right thing, people take notice, and writes about it. It is unusual. It is even rare, but it shouldn't be.
To go further and say that he won the lottery because he did a good turn is to really take things too far. Thousands of other people found money the very same day the taxi driver did. Some turned it in and some kept what they found. There can be no correlation to luck or karma based on such events. Those who do not turn in large sums of money do not, a few days later, have horrible car accidents, experience a death in the family, or have their houses burn down. To think in terms of events happening in such a manner is a less than helpful way of understanding God's providence.
Many of us are in a season of good will. Many of us are being extra kind, and trying to remain cheerful amidst the hustle and bustle of all that tends to go on this time of year. Good deeds, healthy attitudes and fluid joy are principles that flow out of a walk with Christ. But we must be careful not to focus on the kindness and forget the person behind our ability to be kind. We cannot practice deeds of righteousness and divorce ourselves from the One righteous person Jesus Christ. Works apart from Christ are nice, but have little eternal meaning.
It is the person of Christ, the One who has been kind to us, the One who has loved us when we were/are unlovable, who gives us the ability to be kind, joyful, and to celebrate with those whom we love and who love us. I used to see the expression, "Jesus is the reason for the season," in years past, and I am sure it is out there this year even though I have yet to see it. But let us remember that in this season of kindness, joy, peace, and love--There is One who has been supremely kind to us, there is One who gives us reason to have Joy, there is One who has brought peace between us and God the Father, there is One whose love to us has been unmatched. Yes, Jesus is the reason for all our seasons.
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
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