There are many examples of bribery in the Bible,
but the most egregious was when Christ was in the desert
for forty days and Satan came to him with an interesting offer.
He supernaturally showed him all the riches of the world and then said,
“All these things will I give thee,
if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”
All bribes are just like that. They are an enticement to do
something you shouldn’t do - but with a tempting
and perhaps irresistible 'up-side potential' to do it.
This happens all the time in politics and business,
but just as Satan’s proposal to Jesus,
it is also a model of what happens to us each time we are tempted.
James 1:14 says that everyone is tempted when 'Enticed'
and that 'False Reward'
(personal gratification, money, power or a variety of other things)
is the promise of what we’ll receive for doing the wrong thing.
On the other hand a True Reward is always
the outcome of doing what is right. As today’s scripture promises,
when we reject the bribes of temptation the result is always a godly reward
– often received in this life and definitely received in eternity.
Friend, all of us are at the crossroad each day of accepting
bribes or receiving rewards.
When faced with the offer of one or the other, which will you choose?
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