ALL – Psalm 78:32-55
ALL – Proverbs 12:21-23
OT – Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27
NT – Luke 12:8-34
If we’re honest when it comes to getting new tools, new clothes, new movies, new music, new gadgets, etc., most of us sound like Ariel from the Little Mermaid: “Looking around here you think, “Sure, she’s got everything.”… But who cares? No big deal. I want more.”
Craving. Wanting. Coveting. Greed. It’s an epidemic that hits pretty much every home, and usually every member of every home. We’re sick people – sick with greed, sick with envy, sick with desire. And we think that the medicine for our condition is more stuff. “I don’t need much! Just this one thing, and I’ll be happy…”
If we’re honest, we’ll admit that our continuous acquisitions have not cured us. What we thought was medicine is actually poison; rather than curing us, each new gadget and each new toy we buy feeds our disease. And it’s killing us. We’re so sick for new clothes, new cars, new posters and new experiences that we gladly spend all our money on them, even when we end up running out of money for our heat, our water, or our food. And even those of us who are wealthy enough to spend as we desire without running out of money for our necessities are deadly sick; we would rather spend ridiculous sums on ourselves than on our needy neighbors or on the kingdom of God! What’s wrong with us?
That’s why Jesus said:
Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are. – Luke 12:15, The Living Bible
He had a remedy for this sickness, too:
Sell what you have and give to those in need. – Luke 12:33, The Living Bible
The remedy for greed is generosity, not “buying just one more thing.” The remedy for sending life down the drain is giving life to those who are barely scraping by. The remedy for our selfishness is love—a love that gives.
Can you and I relax our grasping hands and give? What’s the struggle?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Showing posts with label greed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greed. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sell and Give and Follow
ALL – Psalm 44:9-26
ALL – Proverbs 10:20-21
OT – Leviticus 24:1-25:46
NT – Mark 10:13-31
Which of the Ten Commandments do you get hung up on? Anything come to mind? Seriously. Have you ever murdered anyone? Are you a thief? A liar? An adulterer? Do you hate your momma?
A young man came to Jesus, asking about the way to eternal life. Jesus pointed him back to the commandments. And this young man said he’d kept them all. A.L.L.
So. What’s left?
Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. “You lack only one thing,” he told him; “go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor—and you shall have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.” – Mark 10:21, The Living Bible
I’ve often heard that Jesus was pointing this young man to his covetousness. But covetousness really seems to be about wanting what others own, primarily. Still, Jesus was clearly pointing out a heart-sin closely related to covetousness: greed. And greed is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Greed is the sin of a heart that refuses to be generous toward those in need, as God commands. Greed says that wealth is more important than God; therefore, greed is idolatry.
Then the man’s face fell, and he went sadly away, for he was very rich. – Mark 10:22, The Living Bible
Rather than following Jesus, God the Son, the man went away “for he was very rich.” He chose wealth over God. He committed idolatry, breaking the second commandment. And in so doing, he made it very plain that he was not fulfilling the first commandment, either: “You may worship no other god than me” (Exodus 20:3, The Living Bible).
When I look at the number of possessions I own—and the number of possessions I allow my children to own, implicitly teaching them that owning a lot is a normal part of life—this passage pulls me up short. I’d like to say that I’m not committing idolatry, that I’d willingly sell everything and follow Jesus, if Jesus called me to do it. It’s easy enough to say; but would I sell everything, give to the poor, and follow Jesus? Would you? I recognize in my heart a root of greed, which is idolatry. I recognize my desire to own, to possess, to have, to keep.
Jesus, forgive me and cleanse me of greed. Make me generous. May there be no idolatry in my heart. Be my Lord, my Christ, my King.
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 10:20-21
OT – Leviticus 24:1-25:46
NT – Mark 10:13-31
Which of the Ten Commandments do you get hung up on? Anything come to mind? Seriously. Have you ever murdered anyone? Are you a thief? A liar? An adulterer? Do you hate your momma?
A young man came to Jesus, asking about the way to eternal life. Jesus pointed him back to the commandments. And this young man said he’d kept them all. A.L.L.
So. What’s left?
Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. “You lack only one thing,” he told him; “go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor—and you shall have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.” – Mark 10:21, The Living Bible
I’ve often heard that Jesus was pointing this young man to his covetousness. But covetousness really seems to be about wanting what others own, primarily. Still, Jesus was clearly pointing out a heart-sin closely related to covetousness: greed. And greed is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Greed is the sin of a heart that refuses to be generous toward those in need, as God commands. Greed says that wealth is more important than God; therefore, greed is idolatry.
Then the man’s face fell, and he went sadly away, for he was very rich. – Mark 10:22, The Living Bible
Rather than following Jesus, God the Son, the man went away “for he was very rich.” He chose wealth over God. He committed idolatry, breaking the second commandment. And in so doing, he made it very plain that he was not fulfilling the first commandment, either: “You may worship no other god than me” (Exodus 20:3, The Living Bible).
When I look at the number of possessions I own—and the number of possessions I allow my children to own, implicitly teaching them that owning a lot is a normal part of life—this passage pulls me up short. I’d like to say that I’m not committing idolatry, that I’d willingly sell everything and follow Jesus, if Jesus called me to do it. It’s easy enough to say; but would I sell everything, give to the poor, and follow Jesus? Would you? I recognize in my heart a root of greed, which is idolatry. I recognize my desire to own, to possess, to have, to keep.
Jesus, forgive me and cleanse me of greed. Make me generous. May there be no idolatry in my heart. Be my Lord, my Christ, my King.
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
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