God Looks On The Heart

Looking around and wanting something that someone else has can get us into lots of trouble.

Illus: A man saw other men with their good looking wives, and decided he wanted a wife. One day, he walked into the restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him, and as he sat there, the waitress came over and asked for their order.

• The man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich. "What's yours?" "I'll have the same," says the ostrich.

• A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That will be $6.40 please," and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out exact change for payment.

• The next day, the man and the ostrich return and the man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke," and the ostrich says, "I'll have the same." Once again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with the exact change.

• This becomes a routine until late one evening, the two enter again. "The usual?" asks the waitress.

• "No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and salad," says the man. "Same for me," says the ostrich.

• A short time later the waitress comes with the order and says, "That will be $12.62." Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

• The waitress can't hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change out of your pocket every time?"

• "Well," says the man, "a while back I was cleaning the attic and I found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I could just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there."

• "That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would wish for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!"

• "That's right! Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man.

• The waitress asks, "One other thing, sir, what's with the ostrich?"

• The man sighs and answers, “On my second wish I messed up big time. I asked for a tall chick with long legs who agrees with everything I say.”

Desiring certain things can get us into trouble in a number of ways, such as:

(1) IT CAN CAUSE MARRIAGE PROBLEMS

Many men and women look around each day and they see other men and women and they think - “I WANT WHAT THEY HAVE!”

Illus: There is a story of two Buddhist monks walking in a drenching thunderstorm. They came to a stream, and it was swollen out of its banks. A beautiful young Japanese woman in a kimono stood there wanting to get to the other side, but she was afraid of the currents. In characteristic Buddhist compassion, one of the monks said, "Can I help you?" The woman said, "I need to cross this stream." The monk picked her up, put her on his shoulders, carried her through the water, and put her down on the other side. He and his companion went on to the monastery. That night his companion said to him, "I have something I want to talk to you about. As Buddhist monks, we have taken vows not to look on a woman, much less touch her body. Back there by the river you did both." The first monk said, "My brother, I put that woman down on the other side of the river. You're still carrying her in your mind." (John Claypool, "The Future and Forgetting," Preaching Today, Tape No. 109. )

There are many married folks looking at the opposite sex, and this can only lead to some serious problems.

(2) IT CAN GET US IN TROUBLE FINANCIALLY

Many folks look around and see what others are wearing, driving and how they are living, and want what they have.

Illus: I like that television commercial where a man stands in front of this beautiful house. He shows you his swimming pool in the back yard, he shows you the golf course where he plays golf, he shows you his beautiful car, and his riding lawn mower. He then says, “HOW CAN I AFFORD ALL THIS?” He says, “I AM UP TO MY EYEBALLS IN DEBT CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP ME!”

Many people have looked around and have seen what someone else has and decided they had to have the same thing, and now they are up to their eyeballs in debt.