They slice a coconut in two, hollow it out, and in one half of the shell cut
a hole just big enough for a monkey's hand to pass through. Then they place an
orange in the other coconut half before fastening together the two halves of the
coconut shell. Finally, they secure the coconut to a tree with a rope, retreat
into the jungle, and wait.
Sooner or later, an unsuspecting monkey swings by, smells the delicious
orange, and discovers its location inside the coconut. The monkey then slips his
hand through the small hole, grasps the orange, and tries to pull it through the
hole. Of course, the orange won't come out; it's too big for the hole. To no
avail the persistent monkey continues to pull and pull, never realizing the
danger he is in.
While the monkey struggles with the orange, the hunters simply stroll in and
capture the monkey by throwing a net over him. As long as the monkey keeps his
fist wrapped around the orange, the monkey is trapped.
It's too bad the poor monkey could save its own life if it would only let go
of the orange. It rarely occurs to a monkey, however, that it can't have both
the orange and its freedom. That delicious orange becomes a deadly trap.
Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and money."

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