The Disease of Greed
Part 1
Mary Southerland
Today's Truth
Ephesians 5:5-7 “You can be sure of this: The Kingdom of Christ and of God will never belong to anyone who is impure or greedy, for a greedy person is really an idol worshiper…Don’t even associate with such people. For though once your heart was full of darkness, now it is full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! (TLB)
Proverbs 24:1 “Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company” (NIV).
Friend to Friend
It’s that time of year…when germs seem to take over the world! Everywhere you go, people are sneezing, coughing. I can almost see the microorganisms fill the air, looking for a place to settle. I certainly do not want to be the landing ground for any contagious illness.
When anyone in my house gets sick, they know what is coming. The war is on! The battle against sickness begins, mom against the germs!
I head to the store in order to stock up on necessary supplies. The list is usually the same; juice, soup, crackers, yogurt, throat lozenges, tissues, cold medicine, hand sanitizer and last, but certainly not least, several cans of Lysol spray. I then implement my battle plan.
The “sickie” is confined to their quarters. They are allotted one bathroom, one sofa and one bedroom for the duration of their illness. The ailing one is not to enter any other area of the barracks…uh, house…without my express permission. I then go room to room; spraying every surface that the ailing one may have touched or even thought about touching. While the patient is allowed to continue breathing, I tend to follow the feeble one around, spraying the air that borders those breaths. This procedure continues until the patient is completely well.
I know. I am obnoxious, but I am also successful more times than not. I do not want to catch their disease and feel it is my responsible to quarantine the sick ones in order to halt the progression of the illness.
Greed is like that – extremely contagious! If we spend time with people who are prone to jealousy and greed, it will be easier for us to be jealous and greedy as well. Yes! We can “catch” the disease of greed. Greed is a noxious disease, one that demands immediate and fierce spiritual quarantine. We need to fortify our spiritual immune system with the power of prayer, scripture and the choice to obey God’s truth. We must also steer clear of those people who are prone to the deadly disease of greed.
Tune in tomorrow when we will examine God’s plan for avoiding the disease of greed.
Let's Pray
Father, I know that my heart is prone to jealousy and greed. I want what I don’t have. I look for contentment and satisfaction in “things” or “stuff”. Please forgive me. Help me to find my joy, my satisfaction and my contentment in You alone. Empower me to stand firm against the disease of greed. Amen.
Now it's Your Turn
- Take inventory of your “stuff”. Make a list and then spend time in prayer, giving each item on your list back to God.
- Read and memorize Psalm 23:1
- Identify one financial need and choose to trust God to meet that need.
- Identify and eliminate any sources of greed and jealousy in your life.
More from the Girlfriends
Isn’t it easy to get “sucked in” by greed? If you are like me, I have to battle greed in every area of life. I can covet someone’s talents. I can crave another’s lifestyle. I can want material things I can’t afford and then complain about it. Mercy! You would think I’d learn that God is my source and will supply every need. Join me in a new commitment to find my daily joy and satisfaction in Him.
For more on this topic, see Mary’s book, Coming Out of the Dark.
G.I.G.
Girlfriends in God, Inc.
Matthews,
Web site: www.girlfriendsingod.com
Email: info@girlfriendsingod.com
Originally published Thursday, 25 January 2007.
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