Ways To Give

A Fortunate Lesson

Written by Julie Cosgrove

Could you use a listening ear? Our mentors are always available.

“Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry”  (1 Corinthians 10:14).

A friend came over to watch my latest movie I got in the mail. We ordered Chinese food to be delivered.  At the bottom of the sack were two fortune cookies. I like fortune cookies. They are just sweet enough without totally wrecking my diet.  I cracked mine open to see what silly fortune lay inside. I always like to look and read it, roll my eyes, then toss it away, ignoring the lotto numbers on the reverse side. This time, it was empty! No fortune. At first I felt rather cheated. Then God, in His subtle way, let me know He was teaching me a lesson.

As Christians, we are to worship only the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one.  After all, the first and second commandments instruct believers to have no other god before Him and not to worship idols. Today, we don’t sacrifice to Egyptian, Roman or Greek gods and goddesses, or bow down to Baal, but idol worship is still prevalent in many subtle ways in our culture.

Like reading a fortune from a fortune cookie. Have you read your horoscope in the newspaper? Do you avoid ladders or black cats?  Habits and traditions seep in. It may sound innocent enough, but each time, it is chipping a little chink in the armor of the Spirit of God. Whether we realize it or not, each time we turn our attention away from His control over our lives. There’s a slight indentation from an arrow aimed at our faith, a crack that lets in a tiny bit of temptation. No big deal, or is it?

The next time you wish upon a shooting star, blow on a dandelion, throw salt over your shoulder, knock on wood, read your horoscope or crack open a fortune cookie, think about it.  God is a jealous god. He wants us to rely on Him and remember He is Lord over our lives, our thoughts and our actions. A fortune-less cookie became a fortunate lesson for me. It was a reiteration that my Lord is all I need. Jesus told us not to be anxious about our futures but to seek first the righteousness of God. (Matthew 6)

Next time, I’ll pray for another empty cookie! I still like to eat them.

Question: What are you relying on instead of God’s Word?

9 Responses to “A Fortunate Lesson”

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• Sharon says:

  July 22, 2011 at 3:48 pm

  hi barb– i do that to my fortune cookies i get rid of the paper inside and eat the cookie and not read the paper at all, good one barb
• Barb says:

  July 18, 2011 at 4:41 pm

  Julie, very good reminder, but no need to “pray” that you will get an empty cookie, just crush the paper inside & garbage it. That can be a good witness, if you don’t make a big show of it (thus making others feel put down).

  Niki, my love, you can’t choose to see the dark side as coming from God. It says in 2 Corinthians 6:14 “What fellowship has light with darkness?” Sometimes, without really admitting it to ourselves, we like to do what the world does, so we are more accepted by them – who wants to be considered as a stuffed shirt, a boring person, or worst of all, religious. It’s always better to take the “high road” and honour our Almighty God as the one true source of truth and leave the superstitious stuff alone.
• Sharon says:

  July 18, 2011 at 3:47 pm

  for me i had participated in horoscopes but once after the church we are attending now is i don’t do horoscopes and not either fortune cookies they are jsut like horoscopes what you read is for everyone who reads them we get chinese food with fortune cookies i don’t want my husband to read them to me, if you rely on them you are not relying on God at all i don’t read mine i dump the cookies. all my focus is on God.
• Lori says:

  July 14, 2011 at 9:27 am

  I can think of two incidents in my life that ref this topic. One was a horiscope, and one a fortune cookie at a restaurant. Even tho I hesitated to read it (just wanted to join in the fun and not be a party pooper) everyone was prodding me to read mine, I (against my own good judgement)looked at mine, and read it outloud. It wasn’t a week later that I lost my job after working in the same office for 31 yrs. It turned out a blessing… I was old enough, and had enough years in to call it a retirement, however “my” plan was to work 5 more years. God’s plan, on the other hand was different. I’ve been blessed since 2008 w/ this thing called time. A beautiful thing I’ve not had my entire life. My husband has a corp job, so we still have steady income; another blessing. But, how interesting that I never forgot that I didn’t like how my so called “fortune” read that day. God is a jealous God… He doesn’t want us to rely on anyone or anything but Him. He is Sovereign and Holy, He is Good. He is enough. I think back on all the years I ran to the news paper just to read my horiscope too… maybe it would say something wonderful. Oh boy, I have grown in my faith so since those days. When I picked up a magazine, I would go straight to the back… for my horiscope of course. How stupid was I to do that. As a middle aged (baby boomer 52) lol, I know what not to do. I give my whole entire being to my Lord every single morning, and pray throughout the day, then praise Him at night. I put no other gods b4 Him. Amen.
• jen says:

  July 14, 2011 at 8:38 am

  Very good message. However I feel that some Christians’ love for the cross borders on idolatry, which is a topic rarely mentioned. I think the focus needs to be on Jesus, not on the instrument of His death.
• Niki says:

  July 14, 2011 at 8:35 am

  Just a thought. Maybe I have a strange mindset but I see those things as being signs from the Lord and opportunities for him to show us guidance and love. When I read a horoscope of love coming my way I praise the Lord. When I get a fortune that has words of wisdom I think how can this relate to scripture? And I feel when I blow a dandelion or knock on wood I am making a prayer to the Lord to bless me with those things. Great reminder that he is in control though! Thanks for all your wonderful devotions! God bless.
• Lyndie Blevins says:

  July 14, 2011 at 7:43 am

  There was a similar BSF question once. Almost everyone in the circle had written horoscopes and maybe psychics. When I suggested it included fortune cookies, which came to me in looking over my lesson, the whole room went ‘of no, that can’t be true.’ They are fun to read, just like the horoscope. I have to really work at not turning the newspaper page to the horoscope. I would say it is just interesting to read, but I know I will take away good feelings if it was positive and doom if it was negative. And even after a couple of years being determined not to part my hands and eyes still wander toward it on the page.
• Arlette says:

  July 14, 2011 at 7:11 am

  I think that we do those luck and fortune etc. things because we are trying to have some control over what life will bring. Trusting that God has already seen, already knows and loves us so much more and is such a way as we cannot imagine is the key to how I try ( and try and try)
  to let go of control. And black kitties are fabulous! :) Thanks so much for this devotional and all it teaches. God bless.
• sharon says:

  July 14, 2011 at 5:21 am

  never thought of it that way,yes the horoscope I would never think of reading, but a fortune cookie, We are never to old to learn. Thank you for your devotionals every morning
  God bless you and yours,
  Sharon your sister in Christ Jesus

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