God is the OG; the Original. Everything at the start was created by Him and for Him. Satan wanted the glory for himself. He rebelled against God and was thrown out of Heaven.
Satan cannot create; he can only steal what God has given, destroy what God has built, and kill what God has given life to. (John 10:10). He has a counterfeit for everything that God gives and provides.
A counterfeit looks really good on the outside. It may even mimic the original’s appearance. However, when you look at it in-detail and examine it up-close, you’ll be able to see that it is a fake.
I heard this appalling story by a young woman. She was a server at a high-end restaurant. She worked diligently and took long hours. She barely got paid anything. She worked herself to the bone. She took good care of her tables. She told me that people would give her fake money and/or things disguised to look like money. See, to her, after all this work, a tip was a way to say, “I appreciate your hard work. Thank you.” So, she would initially be excited to receive a tip. But when she picked it up, it was a business card for a church! She was so offended that they would trick her with what looked like a $100 bill. She was downtrodden due to the false hope of having a nice tip. A good tip would also tell her that, “We value your well-being.” On top of things, she didn’t get any money from serving that table and now she had a bad taste in her mouth about Christianity.
How can this be!? How can we try to trick people into the Gospel instead of showing love by giving a nice tip?! We can’t rely on trickery because that is Satan’s domain. I was annoyed when hearing such a story. That church was digging out any seeds of goodness sown into these servers. Counterfeits are bad.
God never gives us a counterfeit. He gives us His best, all the time: always. How much more should we be sharing the true Gospel and taking care of people’s needs?
“Lord, I thank You for providing for me. Your goodness has taken care of my every need. I’m thankful for Your abundant love overflowing in my life. Lord, help me to give more and to cherish your most precious possession, people. Lord, help me to share with others the Good News of the Gospel and to help them out by taking care of their needs. Because I have received Your love, I’m able to freely give to all who ask. Thank You Lord, for helping me see opportunities around me to bless others. I’m grateful for Your guidance, Holy Spirit. Thank You, for giving me encouraging words to speak, more than enough finances to donate, precious time to invest and multiple talents to glorify You. I will be salt and light in this world to be a laborer for people through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank You Jesus! Amen.”
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