GREED. It is one of the most dangerous of the Seven Deadly Sins, but most often it is ignored in our lives and our preaching.
Jesus said, "No one can serve (worship) two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other,
or you will devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve (worship) both God and money (things)." - Matthew 6:24
Greed is desire that has gone in the wrong direction. Instead of focusing on our love for God and others, greed causes us to focus on ourselves, our wants and our desires.
Jesus also said, "pagans run after all these things" (Matthew 6:32a). Greed defines the pagan by what they do, not who they are. So greed is most dangerous because it can take us away from God.
In contrast, following up on His statement about pagans, Jesus says, "... and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His (God's) kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you (all) as well." (Matthew 6:32b, 33)
This leads us to the corresponding virtue that God calls us to cultivate in opposition to greed. The virtue is generosity.
Generosity destroys greed from the inside out because it forces us to look away from our own wants and desires to see the needs of the people around us. Generosity seeks first God's kingdom and righteousness to come alive in the lives of others, and trusts God to provide what we (all) need for each day.
So if you feel weighed down by greed, I encourage you to ask God to make you generous. God has given us all we need for each day, and as we learn to share generously God's kingdom will come alive to more and more people.
These are my thoughts, and I am certain you also have thoughts to share, so I invite you to share some of your own thoughts as we journey together along the Way ....
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