Kasturi was planning a wonderful surprise for his daughter who would soon be getting married. He wanted to buy her the perfect gift. What could he get?
He lived in a small country town many miles from the big city of Chennai in southern India. After a long bus trip, he arrived in the city and began his search for something special.
At last he found just what he wanted — a beautiful gold necklace. It was very expensive, but that didn’t matter. After all, it was for his daughter. Wouldn’t she be thrilled! After paying for the necklace, Kasturi carefully put the precious gift in his briefcase and walked to the bus station where he had a long wait before his bus came along.
It so happened that the only bus he could catch didn’t go all the way to his town. He would have to change buses partway home. Arriving at the town where he was to change to another bus, he was disappointed to learn that he had missed the last bus home that day. Now he would have to wait all night here in this strange town. But wait! Didn’t Raja, his good friend from school, with his wife Nanda, live here somewhere? Of course! But how could he find them?
After much searching, Kasturi at last found his old friend’s house. He was gladly welcomed by Raja, who invited him to spend the night with them. Nanda cooked him a meal, and afterward Kasturi happily told his two friends of his daughter’s coming wedding. Opening his briefcase, he showed them the wonderful necklace he had bought her. Raja and Nanda looked at the wedding gift and then looked at each other with not-so-nice thoughts.
Later that night after Kasturi had gone to bed and they were sure he was asleep, Raja and his wife crept into his room and took his case. Back in their own room, they removed the necklace from the briefcase, wrapped it up in some old clothes, and hid it in a wastepaper basket. Then after quietly replacing the briefcase beside their sleeping guest, they settled down for the night.
In the morning Kasturi was eager to be on his way, so after a cup of coffee, he went to his room to get his briefcase. He made one quick check to make sure everything was all right. But what was this? Where was the necklace? It was gone!
“Do you know anything about this, Raja?”
“No, no. I don’t know what could have happened,” replied Raja. His wife, too, and all their children denied knowing anything.
You see, boys and girls, how one sin leads to another. First the husband and wife took something that did not belong to them, and then they told lies to cover up what they had done.
Kasturi must have felt very sad as he walked to the police station to report the theft.
“Where did this happen?” the policeman asked. “In Raja’s house? Oh, but he is highly respected in this town! We cannot suspect him!”
But Kasturi was desperate to get the necklace back, so he appealed to the Commissioner of Police for help.
The Commissioner called Raja and Kasturi and questioned them both. Then he made a decision. He told Raja to write a note on a piece of paper that would be taken by a policeman to his wife Nanda, telling her to give the policeman the necklace. If she did as Raja requested, that would prove they were guilty. If she did not produce the necklace, then maybe they were innocent.
Caught in a very difficult situation, Raja confessed everything and told the Commissioner that the necklace was hidden in the wastepaper basket in his bedroom.
Kasturi got his valuable gift back, and, rushing to the bus station, he just barely caught the last bus going to his hometown that day.
As I have thought about this story, I think it shows us a good picture of all of our hearts. Thankfully, we don’t know all the bad things we are very capable of doing. Raja was thought to be a good man by people who knew him. Others may think of you or me as good people, and we may not think we would steal and then lie to cover up what we have done, because we have had better training than that. But it could be that we are proud of how good we are, and pride is just another awful sin. And, God sees our hearts. He tells us that all our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked. (See Jeremiah 17:99The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9).) That is not a pretty picture of our hearts! Only one perfect Person ever lived on this earth. His name is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is God’s Son. He came to earth to take the punishment for the sins of all who will believe on Him, to wash away our sins in His own precious blood so that we can live with Him in His holy home called heaven. I hope you know and love that One who loves you so much!
Memory Verse: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart.” Jeremiah 17:99The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)-10
Messages of God’s Love 6/26/2022