March 2024
In 1903 there was a young 21-year-old Italian man named Charles Ponzi. Charles immigrated to the US with only $2.50 in his pocket and dreams to strike it rich in this new opportunistic country. After reaching the US, he worked a variety of jobs to bring some money in, but it wasn’t helping him meet the dreams he wanted to pursue. It wasn’t until 1919 that this charming young man started to see breakthrough for his hopes, and even some international fame. Opening a business in Boston, he promoted the sales of international reply coupons - which made it possible for people to buy all sorts of international postage stamps for a discounted price. He had this great plan of buying the stamps in bulk from Europe, and then inflating those prices for the Americans who would gladly purchase them. Promising a 50% return for those who would like to buy in, he began making promises - promises he couldn’t keep. Business was booming but without a well thought-out plan, it planted him in prison. Maybe you’ve figured it out by now, but the phrase we use today - Ponzi scheme - originates from this unorganized entrepreneur.
It’s unfortunate that people like Charles cause others to be leery of someone else’s validity. Whether it is in the business realm or the friendship world, we desire to see true character revealed, but we often struggle to trust it and build those relationships. Today alone I was checking my email and guess what? I discovered I am not only the lucky winner of a new generator, I am eligible for a short-term loan from the bank, and my name came up for a premium knife set reward. Lucky me, right? *rolls eyes* It’s exhausting being bombarded day after day by lies from imposters who are trying to lure me for their own benefit. These lies and schemes in every little avenue, as seen in my email scam example, causes me to live in a constant state of apprehension as I try to distinguish what is real or not. Whether it’s through spam mail, social media, phone calls, or even personal relationships - I am fighting for discernment between an authentic and fraudulent life.
We see fruit from a fraudulent life in people all throughout Scripture: Jacob scammed Esau for his birthright in Genesis 25, Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit in Acts 5, and Delilah tricked Samson out of his strength in Judges 16. While these are just a few examples, we can find so many more because the Bible is filled with stories of broken people. The lies, trickery, and dishonesty come in different forms, but God always remains constant. He never changes or wavers, despite their circumstances. A series of small choices eventually positioned these people to be swindled by their own motives, but God - God gives us the ability to live a life of authentic faith filled with dreams rooted in Him.
Daily we run across people who are bombarded by lies and deceit, just like we are. Maybe they are just as exhausted, and just as desperate, to find a life of meaning. I think about the people I see on a daily basis: the old man at the grocery store, the young teenager who is sitting at the red light next to me, the young mom pushing her stroller down my street, or the college student making my coffee - do they see Jesus in me, or are they too hesitant to even look because the fight for authenticity in faith feels fruitless? Maybe they’ve been hurt in the past by someone in the church, or they met a sidewalk preacher who was more creepy than evangelistic? Maybe they had a grandparent who set the bar so high that instead of trying to meet it they gave up and walked away from both family and the church. Or maybe they met a Christian who didn’t know how to extend the grace they talked about, and instead tore others down because they weren’t following the law of Scripture. Just like sifting through my email, I wonder if it’s exhausting looking for authentic faith. But what would happen if we chose to live this authentic faith-filled life? Would it only benefit us, or would it benefit those around us too?
Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27, ESV). Imagine the day you get to heaven and you look to your left and right and the room is filled with people who can’t wait to thank you for living a life of authentic faith; as you lived a life worthy of the Gospel, they no longer felt the quest for truth to be fruitless. What a day of rejoicing that would be! So let’s do that - let’s root ourselves in God’s word, and live as authentic followers of Jesus.