“If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is” is an old expression that carries a lot of truth to it. But then there are promises that sound to good to be true that are true…at least on the surface. In this latter group everything promised is received, however, it’s in the first that the real bugaboo lies.

I found a wonderful example of this in my bible reading for this week. It was right in the middle of Esther, 2:12 (NLT). It almost sounds like a prize on any of the popular reality shows so common on TV these days. “Before each young woman was taken to the king’s bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments – six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments.”

But wait, it doesn’t end there, you get more, almost any woman’s dream. Look at what verse 13 says, “When the time came to go into the king, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to enhance her beauty.”

Going by what I have seen on the few reality shows I’ve watched, I’m sure the line of women trying to become participants would be endless. No, I’m not picking on women either, because men would line up just as fast for an equivalent reward (say a top of the line SUV) and a night with the queen.

This sounds really great, at least on the surface. Of course, enticements by Satan always do sound great, but listen to the final payoff, which in the Book of Esther it is found in verse 14. “The next morning she was brought to the second harem, where the king’s wives lived” and “she would live there for the rest of her life, never going to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name.”

Well, I suspect the king treated his wives about like we treat our cars, always looking excitedly to the next new model.

Christ, on the other hand, doesn’t promise all the finery. As a matter of fact, he warns of hard times for those who follow him. He does, however, promise eternal life and you never have to wait to come into his presence. He never leaves your side.

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