July 2nd, 2024
by John Kelley
by John Kelley
A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.
Proverbs 28:25
Being a dad is the best job I have ever had. I love my kids. I love teaching them. I love watching them create. I love playing with them. I love showing them Christ. Kids aren’t perfect. They’re just like adults…flawed. The flaws of children aren’t like the flaws of adults, for the most part. Children, as they develop, are finding out how to deal with their emotions. They’re figuring out their boundaries, and they’re learning the difference between wrong and right. They’re also learning how to survive. Kids are far more feral than their parents, or at least they should be. A child’s number one priority is “me”.
As I’m writing this, I’ve just spent only the second night in our family’s new house. There are boxes everywhere. It’s almost like a maze trying to navigate through the first floor. I think I’ve turned the wrong direction going to my bedroom at least 20 times by now as I’m still not used to our new home. One thing that does feel like home? My kids arguing over “mine”. If you’re a parent, you know what I’m talking about. The kids are playing really well together when, out of nowhere, someone yells at the other and you hear, “That’s mine!” With kids, this is a multiple-times-a-day statement. That phrase is usually followed by the response, “But I want it.” Depending on the day, how much sleep they’re getting, or the phases of the moon, that can also be accompanied by yelling, tears, stomping feet, or telling on each other.
Children don’t just want what’s theirs; they want everyone else’s, too. As adults, we know that we don’t ask people for their personal belongings, but children have no problem asking if they can have something that belongs to someone else. As a parent, it’s my responsibility to teach my kids not to do that, but that doesn’t always stop them, and I cringe every time they do it. Kids are base-level hoarders. They’ll take everything they can get their hands on unless someone teaches them otherwise.
Greed is, what I would call a base-level sin. It’s one of the first that we, as humans, deal with. We find ourselves dissatisfied with what we have, and we want more. We like our house, but we want a bigger one. We have a nice car, but that new SUV would be nicer. We have a job that provides for our needs, but we want higher pay. Greed says, “What I have is not enough.” It is the antithesis of what God has designed for us.
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 12:15
One of the flaws of greed is the feeling that we are defined by what we have; better houses, cars, jobs, and social standing. Jesus tells us that these do not define us. We read about this in the parable of the rich fool.
And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:16–21
When we become the center of our lives, greed grows. This man only thought about himself. He wanted more so that he could simply take it easy and not have a worry in the world. The problem here is that he had no plans to share this with anyone else. It was only about him. Greed loves the word “mine.” This money is mine. This property is mine. This career is mine. Christ’s desire for us is the opposite. Everything we have should be HIS. This is not a popular position for most people. We see how hard we’ve worked for something, and we believe we’ve earned it. The problem is that we forget the source of all our blessings.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
James 1:16–18
Greed says, “Close your fist and hold on to everything tightly, and get everything you can because you deserve it.” The disciple says, “Open the hand and share in God’s abundance.” Is it wrong to want a new house? No. Is it wrong to want a better job? No. Is it wrong to have the desire to better provide for your family? No. When those desires engulf who you are and become a hunger that can’t be satisfied, we need to step back and realize that it was never ours to begin with.
Proverbs 28:25
Being a dad is the best job I have ever had. I love my kids. I love teaching them. I love watching them create. I love playing with them. I love showing them Christ. Kids aren’t perfect. They’re just like adults…flawed. The flaws of children aren’t like the flaws of adults, for the most part. Children, as they develop, are finding out how to deal with their emotions. They’re figuring out their boundaries, and they’re learning the difference between wrong and right. They’re also learning how to survive. Kids are far more feral than their parents, or at least they should be. A child’s number one priority is “me”.
As I’m writing this, I’ve just spent only the second night in our family’s new house. There are boxes everywhere. It’s almost like a maze trying to navigate through the first floor. I think I’ve turned the wrong direction going to my bedroom at least 20 times by now as I’m still not used to our new home. One thing that does feel like home? My kids arguing over “mine”. If you’re a parent, you know what I’m talking about. The kids are playing really well together when, out of nowhere, someone yells at the other and you hear, “That’s mine!” With kids, this is a multiple-times-a-day statement. That phrase is usually followed by the response, “But I want it.” Depending on the day, how much sleep they’re getting, or the phases of the moon, that can also be accompanied by yelling, tears, stomping feet, or telling on each other.
Children don’t just want what’s theirs; they want everyone else’s, too. As adults, we know that we don’t ask people for their personal belongings, but children have no problem asking if they can have something that belongs to someone else. As a parent, it’s my responsibility to teach my kids not to do that, but that doesn’t always stop them, and I cringe every time they do it. Kids are base-level hoarders. They’ll take everything they can get their hands on unless someone teaches them otherwise.
Greed is, what I would call a base-level sin. It’s one of the first that we, as humans, deal with. We find ourselves dissatisfied with what we have, and we want more. We like our house, but we want a bigger one. We have a nice car, but that new SUV would be nicer. We have a job that provides for our needs, but we want higher pay. Greed says, “What I have is not enough.” It is the antithesis of what God has designed for us.
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 12:15
One of the flaws of greed is the feeling that we are defined by what we have; better houses, cars, jobs, and social standing. Jesus tells us that these do not define us. We read about this in the parable of the rich fool.
And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:16–21
When we become the center of our lives, greed grows. This man only thought about himself. He wanted more so that he could simply take it easy and not have a worry in the world. The problem here is that he had no plans to share this with anyone else. It was only about him. Greed loves the word “mine.” This money is mine. This property is mine. This career is mine. Christ’s desire for us is the opposite. Everything we have should be HIS. This is not a popular position for most people. We see how hard we’ve worked for something, and we believe we’ve earned it. The problem is that we forget the source of all our blessings.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
James 1:16–18
Greed says, “Close your fist and hold on to everything tightly, and get everything you can because you deserve it.” The disciple says, “Open the hand and share in God’s abundance.” Is it wrong to want a new house? No. Is it wrong to want a better job? No. Is it wrong to have the desire to better provide for your family? No. When those desires engulf who you are and become a hunger that can’t be satisfied, we need to step back and realize that it was never ours to begin with.
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What Is Prayer?AdorationConfessionThanksgivingSupplicationScripture Is The Word Of GodGod’s Word Guides UsGod’s Word Convicts UsGod’s Word Connects UsGod’s Word Encourages UsWhat Is Worship?Worship In Our WorkWorship In Our FamilySunday WorshipWorship Even When You Don't Want ToWhat is Fasting All About?Giving God Our Meal TimesEmptied of Ourselves and Filled with ChristFasting Develops FocusFood Is OverratedGod Is NOT In The FireJesus Sneaks OffWe Make Our Own Noise
February
We All Need SpaceGod Is Not Santa ClausWith Great Blessing Comes Great ResponsibilityCan Stewardship Be Scary?Filling the Need When We See ItIt's All His AnywayTime Is NOT On My SideWe Need Each OtherDevoted To The WordBreaking Bread TogetherGroup Conversations With GodFour Hands Are Better Than TwoLet’s Keep It SimpleOnly Take What You NeedSlow DownThe Great PurgeA Simple MessageGod’s Word Is A WeaponDo You Have A Game Plan?What You Remember Most Matters MostStart With the Basics
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Sin Is RealDistraction Leads to Cover-UpWandering In DisobediencePride Comes Before the FallI Do What I HateThe Beauty of RedemptionRedemption Has A PriceWe Need To Claim Our PrizeYou Gotta Have FaithEven When You Look Like a Fool….God Will ProvideTrust the ProcessI Forgive YouGrace Is Free, But It Isn't CheapI Was Wrong, You Were RightThe Mob
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