A young Italian man immigrated to America in the early 1900s and began selling bananas off a cart. Settling in Chicago, he married and his business grew into a small corner neighborhood store. They began a family and had four sons and two daughters. Their business was a family affair, built around produce; the living fresh foods that he believed to be the foundation of good nutritional health. Every day the man and his sons would go to the market very early to buy their produce. They would buy only rotting crates of produce. These contained the naturally ripened fruits and vegetables that did not make it to market intact. The father knew that, 30% to 50% was still in perfect condition inside each crate. He bough each crate for 10 cents on the dollar; this gave him an instant wind fall profit on each crate.
The work was laborious to separate the good from the bad. First the perfectly ripened fruit was put on display to sell at prices lower than anywhere in Chicago; and it was the ripest as well. Next was the partially bruised fruits and vegetables; they were cut up for fruit and vegetable deli salads and food for the family. The bruised parts were squeezed into juice for the family; turning some into wine. Only the totally rotten parts were taken home for compost on the family garden. Nothing was wasted!
By the time his sons were young men, they had customers coming from the surrounding suburbs of the city to buy his produce. While there to buy produce they would buy milk, eggs and butter. His supplier, one of Chicago’s largest milk companies could not understand how a small grocery store could out sell the largest of stores. The company president met with this Italian immigrant and handed the man a check for one million dollars, to buy the man’s store and to hire him at an executive salary to manage a new supermarket chain built around that corner store. This was in 1950
The sons thought they had hit a gold mine. They each got to hold the check in their hands and dream for a minute or two. Then the father took the check and handed it back to the man from the milk company and said, “No deal, my store is not for sale.” His son’s could have died on the spot.
The father first explained that it would not be good for his family; such windfalls seldom are. But in addition; his store was built over many years of working in that neighborhood and establishing priceless goodwill. That which was build with hard honest labor over decades could not be mass reproduced for instant gain, motivated out of greed and lust for money.
Everyday, we each have choices to make. It all boils down to choosing God and His Kingdom or Satan and this dying world. Are we sold out for the Kingdom; or are we going to be bought by this world.
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).
The world can be very tempting; just as it was for the prophet Moses; but Moses knew who he was, the son of a Hebrew woman. Moses knew his real inheritance in God’s Kingdom.
“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; (25) Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; (26) Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26)
Prayer: Father in Heaven, help me to be grounded in truth; help me to study the Word. I need revival in my life. Revive me for the work of the Gospel and for an eternal place in your glorious Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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