Her car needed some gas. She still had some miles to travel to get to her parent's house. Pulling into the gas station, she went inside to pay for the gasoline. While inside she noticed the Powerball Lottery tickets were still for sale, even though this was the last night before the drawing. Because the lottery was so large this time, she decided to get 5 tickets with her extra $5.00. Getting back into the car, she drove onto the highway and headed for her parents home.
And, she won the lottery! After taxes, she had a $55 million dollar return on her $5.00 investment. Her life will never be the same again. Her $9.00 per hour job is gone. Her old car is gone. Her old home is gone. Everything is changed and her life will never be the same.
Another man left his home one day. He laid down in front of the local church because he was a cripple. He got out his begging bowl and began to ask everyone who came by to drop in a few coins. That was the way he made his living. That was the way he put food on his table. And then he won the lottery! Two men started to walk past him and he asked them for some money to help him get through another day. They may have seen him before because he was at that location a lot asking people for some nickels and dimes to help get a little food. So when they stopped in front of him, he probably was anticipating the beggar's normal fare, a penny, nickel, dime, etc.
The big guy quickly deflated his expectations when he said, "I don't have any money." Well, that's what beggars hear a lot. At least this guy spoke to him instead of avoiding eye contact and ignoring him. And, then he won the lottery! The big guy kept talking. He said, "but, what I do have I give to you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
His return on investment is greater than $55 million, his life will never be the same again, everything is changed for him too! You know, Jesus does that to people. Rich people, people who have lots and lots of money don't keep it. If you go back and look at individuals who lived before 1900 and amassed great fortunes, you will find that those vast estates have evaporated. And if, in a future century , you look back at the great fortunes of the wealth-makers of today, you will discover what we all know in our hearts - wealth is like sand that dribbles through our fingers. We may hold it for a moment in time, but we cannot hold it forever.
On the other hand, let us go back and visit the lame beggar who just started leaping and jumping and praising God. His pockets are still empty. Bank accounts, stocks, bonds, houses, cars, fine clothing, a power job - they are all non-existent in his life. In fact, an accountant would say that his net worth before he met the two men is equal to his net worth after he met the two men. His credits and debits balance out at zero. But, this 40+ year old lame beggar has just hit the spiritual jackpot of his lifetime. He has discovered that which has value far above the money, fame, power, and prestige that people pursue.
Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." Good words to hang on to as we seek our fame and fortune.
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