Deception has a sting to it that sends a cold chill down your back. The first mention of such a diabolical event is found in Genesis chapter 3.
Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was craftier than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
The NKJV uses the word cunning and the NLT uses the term shrewd. I ran into a fellow like that that at a fairground years ago in one of those game booths, and before he was done with me, my money was in his pocket. I’m still holding a grudge against an individual who owes me money on a case of beer from fifty-three years ago. If he dies and I have his funeral, I’m going to say, “It’s too bad he passed before he could pay me back. Now turn to 1 Thessalonians 4.”
Deception is practiced not only by the devil but also by some individuals; anyone who lives only for this life and not for the next is self-deceived:
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
How are you doing when it comes to deception? The concept is sown into the very fabric of life.
Give it some thought, and if the person who owes me that money reads this, please respond to this devotional with a personal check.
Think about it.
Gary