Giving The Business, Or Getting The Business!

The gas station near our home has a way of doing business that really rubs me wrong.  Without any warning the price of gas can go up as much as 15 or 20 cents a gallon.  Many times, when I am in Rockford, I could stop and get gasoline at any station for about the same price that I saw at Winnebago Corner earlier in the morning.  The thought goes through my head, "I should get gas but I will give my business to the station in Winnebago."  When I drive the fifteen miles from Rockford, I find out they decided to raise the price of their gasoline up to 20 cents a gallon and I find out that I got the business in a way I didn't like!

My question today is this.  In our daily Christian walk, as we go through life, are we getting the business from people around us or are we giving them the business?  Let me explain this in a little different way.  As the pastor of the church, what would happen if I put out a plea for funds to help me with a mission trip that I am going on.  Many different people would stop and think, pray about it and then say, "Let's help Pastor Gary with the expense of this trip."  They would look at this as a business transaction, much like I did with the local gas station.  Their attitude would be to help in an area of need. But what would happen if after I got your trust, and your money, I didn't go on the mission trip? What would you think after I was supposed to go and didn't, and I spent your money to buy myself a different car.  Would you feel that you helped me in a time of need, or would you feel that you were taken advantage of- or given the business?

As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to make sure that we are not taking advantage of other people around us for our own sake.  We should not go through life manipulating people for our own advantage in any situation.  We are supposed to be helping people in our walk with Jesus and not hindering them.  We are supposed to be making other people's lives easier, rather than making them more difficult.  We cannot walk up to people with a great big hearty slap on the back and big laugh and overwhelm them with our deceit and our trickery!  Jesus told his diciples that you will know a tree by it's fruit.  If it produces good fruit, it is a good tree.  If it produces bad fruit, it is a bad tree.  You may claim to be a Christian, but if you are producing the fruit of deciet and frustration and hurt in everyone's life around them, you are really giving Jesus the business in the end!  Think about it...!