Greed

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Overflowing Love

When Jesus sent out the 70 disciples, He told them not to take anything–not even an extra change of clothes!

The early church sold all of their extra stuff (they shared everything else) and dumped the money at the apostles’ feet. 

The widow in the temple gave everything she had. 

Paul teaches us the secret of contentment: Do all things through Christ who strengthens you whether you’re broke or rich. 

We’re told to not covet in The 10 Commandments and by Jesus Himself. 

We’re told to seek The Kingdom first because God is the supplier of our every need. 

And I could keep going with examples!

I’m packing up to move and I wonder if I’m too greedy…

Am I willing to give everything away?

To share everything?

To see my life–time, giftings, possessions, and money–as simply a means to help others?

I want to say yes. I want it to be an all-the-time truth, but I struggle…

Can’t something be mine?

Here was God’s answer:

Yes, the one thing no one can take away is your relationship with Me. What else do you want?

Ouch!

God is an all-in kind of Father. He gave us everything He had. Nothing was held back from us. 

I want to be that kind of person. 

I want to be all-in. 

My life was so empty before my relationship with God. No amount of success or approval or stuff could fill the void. 

My response to His great grace is that I want to live a life stripped bare of anything that keeps me from being full of Him, of His overflowing love. 

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No U-Haul Required

 

This is a topic that I’ve been thinking about for a while: 

Materialism.

Another word for it is greed, selfishness, stinginess…all of these terms are synonymous with materialism with me.

What’s the deal with needing stuff?

Why do I need 57 pairs of shoes, every new gizmo and gadget that hits the market, and a new car?

I go through my stuff periodically. When I start purging this question runs through my mind: When was the last time I used this? If I cannot remember the last time I’ve used something I get rid of it. Here recently I have been selling things that I haven’t used in a while, and I am proud to say that I have made some nice money doing so.

Now here’s an obvious statement:

When you die, nothing goes with you.

This fact has really inspired me to become more introspective. Why am I hoarding?  If nothing can go with me anyway why do I want so much stuff? Someone tell me that I am not the only one who feels this way.

What if I put the same amount of energy into reaching out to others that I put into seeking wealth and possessions? 

Maybe this is an extreme viewpoint, but I am quite confident that the issue of materialism is really stunting the growth of Christians.  

My dad shared this verse with me:

Luke 12: 15:

“And [Jesus] said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness,” for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

So Jesus says that your self-worth is not tangled up in what you own…that’s awesome! That’s freedom! That’s the gospel! And I love it!

I want my life to be filled with sharing the gospel, raising a family, you know? Things that actually matter.

The floor is now opened for discussion. What do you think about materialism? Share your thoughts, Bible verses, etc. I want to hear from you!