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ILL GOTTEN GAINS

            Perhaps you have heard about the incident where a young blind man came into a Dairy Queen (He was a regular customer) to order an Ice Cream cone. In the process of getting his money out of his pocket he dropped a $20 bill. The manager saw it and observed a lady reach down and pick it up and put it in her purse. The manger’s name is Joey Prusak. New York Daily News reported it this way:  “Joey Prusak, 19, argued with the woman who pocketed the bill after the man dropped it on the floor. When she refused to return the money, the moral Minnesota teen kicked her out and gave the man $20 of his own money.” A customer saw it all and sent an email to the owner of the store. It ended up posted at the store and has sense gone viral on the internet.

            The woman who kept the money has ill—gotten gains from my perspective. According to the dictionary ill-gotten gains is defined as “money or other possessions acquired in a dishonest or illegal fashion.” Some observations.

 

            One is how refreshing it is to see the actions of this young manager. Joey Prusak had a heart of compassion (Mt. 9:35-38). He practiced The Golden Rule (Mt. 7:12). He stood up for what was right (Eph. 6:11). He saw a wrong and endeavored to correct it. Remember Paul told Timothy to be an example (1 Tim. 4:12). There are countless folks who have this same attitude but you never hear about them. They don’t brag or try to receive attention but go about doing good in their lives.

 

            Two is that some folks are so selfish, self-centered and greedy that they will steal from a blind man. “Let him that stole steal no more…” (Eph. 4:28). If the blind man had dropped his keys to his house, would this lady have picked them up and went to his house and claimed it as her own? No, but the $20 was easy picking. Solomon wrote, “He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house…” (Prov. 15:27). John wrote, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8). It seems to me that this lady can be described by the words “abominable” and “liar.”

 

            Three is that we will reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-8). This young man’s kindness is being and will be repaid many times over. He has been offered jobs, folks have sent him money, and the Dairy Queen has been overwhelmed with business and to top it off, billionaire Warren Buffet, has invited him to his next shareholders meeting in 2014. Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway owns Dairy Queen. Do not forget: this young man did not do this deed for any of the above but because he has a heart of honesty. May there be more like him.

 

                                                                        Larry