Greed

Years ago there was a pretzel stand in front of a building in New York. A generous business man wanted to help the owner. Each day he would put a quarter on the counter and walk away without taking a pretzel.

One day as he was leaving his quarter, the owner said, “Sir…”

Stopping quickly, he said, “I presume that you are going to ask me why I never take the pretzels?”

“No,” she said rather haughtily. “I just wanted to tell you that the price of the pretzels is now fifty cents.”

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians he warned them to “Put to death…evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” He asks that we consider ourselves as though we are dead and therefore unresponsive and unable to be involved in a list of sins, ending with greed. He suggests we make a conscious effort every day to remove anything in our lives that would in any way allow these desires to be present and grow and lead to our destruction. We are to rely on the Holy Spirit’s power to overcome the temptation to sin.

In these days of economic uncertainty we are much more aware of what we have and do not have. We seem to face more pressures to lay up treasures for our future on earth rather than with God. We seem to rely more on what we can get from God than what we can give to God.

Prayer: Lord, give us a clear vision of what to value. Protect us from desires to put “things” before You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Colossians 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.