Quote from Forum Archives on October 17, 2011, 11:04 am

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

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The Burning Bush Devotional
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10.17.11

Stealing the Bridge

Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with
his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has
need. - Ephesians 4:28.

So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; it takes away the life
of its owners. - Proverbs 1:19.

He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house.. - Proverbs 15:27a.

Two men have been arrested in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania for stealing the
Covert's Crossing Bridge, and it was 50 feet long by 20 feet wide. Benjamin
Arthur Jones, 24-years-old, and Alexander William Jones, 25-years-old used a
cutting torch to cut the bridge up into sellable pieces. The men then sold
the bridge, worth an estimated $100,000, as scrap metal for approximately
$5,000. The men are in jail facing multiple felony charges. (Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette 10.15.11)

Hard to believe that anyone would attempt to steal a bridge! I wonder how
they arrived at the decision? Maybe, one day they were out driving around,
probably drinking some beer, and drove over the bridge. One man said to the
other, "Hey, we could steal this bridge. We could cut it up in little pieces
and sell it for scrap." The second man may have said, "But won't someone
miss the bridge?" Man number one says, "Yeah, they may miss it when they run
off here and wreck, but we can get thousands of dollars out of this thing."
The second man must have said, "Where's that cuttin' torch at?"

The men not only had a disregard for property belonging to others; they also
had a disregard for human life. It was apparently of no concern to them if
someone was injured crashing because of a missing bridge. In addition,
because of their greed, the men were blind to the consequences of their
actions. They were blind to the possibility that the scrap they were selling
would be recognized as being from a bridge, and reported. They were blind to
the possibility that they could be arrested, and end up being sent to prison
for years. They were blind to how much pain their actions would cause their
families when they were arrested, and incarcerated. Their greed demonstrates
the truth of Proverbs 15:27 and Proverbs 1:19. Greed is a life destroyer.
Greed is a maker of a world of trouble for anyone who is greedy.

For anyone who is involved in making a living out of stealing, or who steals
for the fun or thrill of stealing, it is made clear in Ephesians 4:28 that
this is against the will of God. As we are told in Ephesians 4:28, "Let him
who stole steal no longer.." If you are involved in this kind of the
thing.stop now, before you destroy your life. Stop now, before your greed
brings trouble to your door, and to your family.

So the next time, you are out driving around in the country, and drive over
a perfectly functional metal bridge, just be thankful that Benjamin and
Alexander Jones have yet to discover it.

Copyright © 2011. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
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