Bobby Puryear got a surprise when he drove up to a drive-through ATM in Modesto, California. Someone had left $500 in the cash dispenser! He could have just taken it and nobody would have known, but he didn’t do that. Instead, he drove around to the front of the bank and told the teller what had happened. She refused to take the money and called the manager over. But he did not want to take the money either! He said to Bobby, “What do you expect me to do with it?”
At this point, many people would have felt perfectly justified in keeping the money, considering it their lucky day. After all, he could honestly say that he had done his best to do the right thing! But Bobby wanted to make a real effort to find the owner of the $500, so he suggested to the manager that they try to find out who the last person was who had used the ATM.
The next day, Bobby got a call from the bank. On a third line was a 92-year-old lady named Edith. She was the rightful owner of the money and explained that she had withdrawn the $500 for rent money. Out of the $500, she had $20 left over for the rest of the month. She wanted to offer it to Bobby as a reward. But Bobby declined the offer and wished her a good day.
Then he got to thinking. Twenty dollars wouldn’t go very far for the rest of the month. He called the bank and asked the manager to transfer $200 from his account into Edith’s account. A coworker heard what Bobby was doing and said that he would transfer $100 into Edith’s account. An hour later the manager called to tell Bobby that when he told the other tellers what Bobby had done, they collected another $300 for Edith’s account. What a generous and wonderful gift for Edith!
God’s Righteousness
Many people would have chosen to take the $500 without saying anything, just like the Ochoas took money that didn’t belong to them. But there are many people who are just like Bobby —they are kind, thoughtful and upright. The first group are obvious sinners; the second group are not-so-obvious sinners. But God tells us that we are all sinners, nonetheless. “There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:10-1210As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:10‑12)).
No, not one, good or righteous person is a no-doubt-about-it assessment of our standing before a holy God. God tells us this because He loves us and does not want us to be eternally separated from Him. “The Lord ... is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:99The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)).
God tells us how we can come into His presence pure and with our sins forgiven. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:99That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)). Confessing the Lord Jesus comes as a result of faith and believing in our hearts on the work and suffering of the Lord Jesus on the cross for our sins. Salvation is a gift from God that we cannot possibly earn. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-98For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8‑9)). Have you received God’s free gift of salvation?
Many that don’t look to be fulfilled with money are searching for that fulfillment some other way. Find out what truly satisfies in “Five Things That Are Not Enough.”