Possessive Thinking

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.   Deuteronomy 5:21 Covet – We are certainly familiar with this commandment.  Since there is a separate commandment concerning…

Divinely Frustrated

clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.   1 Peter 5:5 Is Opposed – Look around you.  Does it seem to you that God opposes the proud?  That certainly doesn’t appear to be the case, does it?  Everywhere we see arrogance, hubris and…

The Way

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse.  So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants   Deuteronomy 30:19 Choose Life – What would you choose – life and the blessing, or death and the…

Give and Take

Otherwise, you may say in your heart, “My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.”   Deuteronomy 8:17 My Power – It’s the name of the game in this life.  Power.  My power.  If you’re going to win in this world, you better take all you can get.  So goes the thinking…

Assumed Abundance

And He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of possessions.”  Luke 12:15 Abundance – Did you notice the assumption implied in Jesus’ statement?  It’s in the first part of this phrase – “not even when.” …

Double Protection

And He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of possessions.”  Luke 12:15 Beware and Be On Your Guard – The forms of greed are slippery and seductive.  They don’t always come denominated in currency.  Wherever…

The Christian Eunuch

And He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of possessions.”  Luke 12:15 Every Form of Greed – Sometimes I think we needed to be there.  We needed to be sitting in the audience, listening to…

New Testament Rewards

Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him  Hebrews 11:6  (RSV) Rewards –  Do you want to be closer to God?  Then this verse is for you.  Just make sure that you know what it says.  It’s not about rewards.  It’s about the One…

Christian Capitalism

All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them.  I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all of my labor and this was my reward for all my labor.  Ecclesiastes 2:10 Reward – What is your reward for your effort?  Are you working to accumulate…

Stink

And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.   Luke 16:15 Detestable – Lord, forgive us.  How often we prize the symbols of success in this world!  If…