'Greed' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal.” vs. 23 Jeremiah 23:26-29 Jeremiah had a bone to pick with the so-called prophets who hung around the court in Jerusalem. They would say whatever they believed would tickle the ears of the king and the nobility, and their advice was always self-serving. Jeremiah believed that the word of the Lord was like fire…
Daily Devotions
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, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you.’” vss. 19-20a Luke 12:16-21 If any of the people in the crowd around Jesus were familiar with the book of Ecclesiastes, they would have realized that the truths contained in his parable on greed were found in its pages. While some of…
Daily Devotions
And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’” vs. 15 Luke 12:13-15 Jesus had narrowly avoided getting involved in a family dispute about an inheritance, an issue that’s been around ever since children began to wonder how their parents’ possessions would be distributed after their deaths. Of course, there are a myriad of laws to cover such occasions and thoughtful estate…
Daily Devotions
I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me—and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish?” vss.18-19a Ecclesiastes 2:18-23 The Teacher’s words will resonate with many in our accumulation-driven society. Many people devote long years of their lives to building their portfolios and establishing retirement funds, and often they don’t even like the work that they’ve been doing! And then when they…
Daily Devotions
Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” vss. 6-8 1 Timothy 6:6-12 The wisdom in these few short verses is overwhelming. Obviously, accumulation was an issue even for first century followers of Jesus, and some seem to have been infected by the notion that more is better.…
Daily Devotions
We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.” vss. 5b-6 Amos 8:5b-8 Amos may have been from the hill country of a poor nation, but he understood how the market operated in Israel during its “golden years.” His investigation didn’t take long and his report was scathing. Everything had been engineered to…
Daily Devotions
Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, ‘When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale?’” vss. 4-5a Amos 8:4-5a When Amos, from the hill country of Judah, went to the prosperous kingdom of Israel to speak a word from the Lord, he couldn’t believe his eyes. These folks were the descendents of Abraham.…
Daily Devotions
Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’” vs. 13 Luke 12:13-15 There’s nothing that stirs up a family more than the division of an estate after a death has taken place. Ill feelings abound, attorneys are hired, and final disposition of lawsuits may take years to be settled. Even when a will exists and the intentions of the deceased seem crystal clear, family members end up at odds with…
Daily Devotions
Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 “Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.” vs. 18 Prophets like Zephaniah had harsh words for the people of Israel and Judah. They were careful observers and it was obvious to them that the nation had strayed…
Daily Devotions: August 13, 2019
August 13, 2019 For full passage click: Isaiah 5:4-7 … “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!” vs. 7 We frequently read Scripture from an individual perspective, looking for guidance and hope in our own changing circumstances, and often the verses speak directly to our hearts. Isaiah however, wasn’t speaking to individuals, he was…
Daily Devotions: August 3, 2019
August 3, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 12: 13-15 …“And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’” vs. 15 In our age of extravagant consumption, it’s easy to point fingers at the super-rich and accuse them of living greed-driven lives. Their garish displays of ostentatious wealth are regularly splayed across our television screens for all to see. But we don’t…
Daily Devotions: October 8, 2018
October 8, 2018 Amos 5:6-7, 10-12…“Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.” vs. 6 King Jeroboam II, of the tribe of Ephraim, one of Joseph’s sons, was riding high. The country of Israel was enjoying a period of unprecedented prosperity and the wealthy were getting even richer. They were hard-pressed to think of what to spend their money on…
- 1
- 2