Two prostitutes were living in the same house. The two prostitutes got pregnant. One of the prostitutes gave birth and now there are 2 women and a baby living in the same house. Three days later, the other prostitute also gave birth and now there are 2 women and 2 babies in the house. – No other occupant.
One night while every 4 occupants were asleep, one of the prostitutes probably drunk or in a mystical groove of sexual fantasy, rolled over her own baby, suffocating life out of the innocent infant unintentionally! She woke up, realized her deep error…and carried the dead infant to the side of the other prostitute who was soundly asleep. She replaced her dead baby with the living baby of the other woman, and took the living baby to her own side of the bed and continued her sleep. Hmm…
It’s now morning. The two mothers woke around same time to breastfeed their infant… *wahala loading…* The other woman was stunned to notice she had a lifeless baby in her arms – depressed, distressed, dejected!
But before she could wail out her discovery, she took a look again at the baby and her brilliant motherly instinct and logics told her: ‘this is not my baby’! She looked at the other baby in the hands of the ‘killer mother’…but the smile on that baby’s countenance was like saying to her: ‘hi mum’! *wahala downloading…*
“Give me my baby”! She yelled out outrageously. “Which baby? What are you talking about? Isn’t it glaring your baby is the one by your side?” The other woman replied. So, the trouble started, argument persevered and they had to land in the palace of the Town Ruler! *wahala downloaded…*
Almost all royal protocols were suspended as the rightful mother cried to the Ruler; ‘My lord, this housemate replaced my baby with hers after she must have rolled over her own while sleeping. Now she is claiming my baby to be hers and I know from the depth of my heart that the baby in her hands is mine…’!
The other woman interrupted almost immediately: ‘…liar! You are claiming my own baby! This Baby in my arm is mine…’
The argument heated up again right in the presence of the Honourable Town Ruler! Filled with compassion, the Ruler calmed the two agitated women and had a little ‘thinking moment’ with his hands on his chin. Hmm… If you were the Ruler, what would be on your mind at this moment?
This Ruler was just newly appointed even as a ‘youth’ that he was. The people of the land were unsure of his ability to judge tough decisions though his placement was by the royal family lineage. What would be his judgment?
Two main criteria ran through his mind!
– Selfishness vs Compassion Test.
– Envy vs Goodwill Test
The evil woman will demonstrate selfishness while the rightful owner will be filled with compassion. So here comes the procedure. He ordered one of his servants to bring a sword. The King ordered: ‘Slice the baby into two at once…and give the mothers half of the body each…’! Wow!
The rightful mother fell to her knees…with tears gushing out… ‘…my lord, please let the other woman have the child…please my lord…if her having the child will let the child live…so be it…’! But the other woman interrupted: ‘If I can’t have him, you can’t have him—cut away!’
That’s it! Selfishness exposed the evil doer….and Compassion vindicated the rightful owner. Envy exposed the ‘wicked’ …Goodwill justified the ‘weak hand’. Oh thank God! Hmm…
Have you been enjoying the story? Well, you have been reading the Bible! The Ruler’s final verdict cleared the whole matter: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Nobody is going to kill this baby. She is the real mother.”! (1Kings 3:17 MSG)
And the next verse explained how the community revalidated the new Ruler in their heart as a ‘competent’ ruler:
‘…The word got around—everyone in Israel heard of the king’s judgment. They were all in awe of the king, realizing that it was GOD’S WISDOM THAT ENABLED HIM TO JUDGE TRULY…’ (1Kings 3:18 MSG)
Moral of the story: That woman had in her two main habits: Selfishness and Envy. Selfishness and Envy are manifestations of the ‘works of the flesh’.
‘…Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: …jealousy, wrath, SELFISHNESS, divisions, heresies, ENVYINGS, murders…’(Gal 5:19-21)
Selfishness says: ‘I must have it at all cost…’
Envy says: ‘I should have it and not that person’
A selfish believer is on the path of Self destruction.
‘…An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels…’ (Prov 18:1)
While a man of Envy will end up Heavy with evil rewards! On the scale of wickedness, there are three items! Envy is the worst of them all!
‘…WRATH is cruel, and ANGER is outrageous; but WHO IS ABLE TO STAND BEFORE ENVY?..’ (Prov 27:4)
When a believer now has both selfishness and envy as a habit…such is a believer having a TIME BOMB in his luggage unknowingly! All manner of satanic vices will be the end-result ‘explosion’!
‘…For where you have ENVY AND SELFISH AMBITION, there you find disorder and EVERY evil practice…’ (James 3:16 NIV)
Therefore, be a believer void of ‘selfishness’ and ‘envy’!
May the Lord bless the reading of His word.
Amen.
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