Thursday May 3, 2012

If you find yourself being greedy for something     today, give it away completely.

 

Read Deuteronomy 15:9-11; Colossians 3:5-14

 

Greed, according to the New Testament, is idolatry. When we are greedy or want something selfishly we are putting that thing above God and above other people. We are loving something greater than God and greater than others. The first two commandments are being trashed by our greed.

 

When we are forced or compelled to give, our minds can easily think of millions of reasons why we shouldn’t give and why we should hold back. Such thoughts, according to Deuteronomy 15, are to be avoided. We are to be open handed and generous towards the poor.

 

The Christian in this world is to be constantly transformed by a renewing of his/her mind (Romans 12:1-2) and by the substitution of good in place of evil. When we see evil practices and greed in our lives, we are to consciously replace these with holiness and generosity.  But don’t be fooled! This is hard work. This is meat for the mature. This is tough going.  To rid ourselves of things like anger, malice, greed and selfishness can be a slow process that demands patience, perseverance and a willingness to look inside at the ugliness of our self-centred sinfulness.

 

If you find yourself being greedy for money, give more money away. If you are greedy for your time, give up your time and volunteer to help the poor and needy. If you find yourself being greedy for anything, fight fire with fire and get rid of what ever you were greedy for. Even more so, give it away to a good cause with a cheerful and joyous heart.

 

Prayer:

Pray that God would use our cell groups to grow the church and to share the love of Christ with those in surrounding areas. Pray that every cell church would be sharing the love of Christ in practical every day terms.

¥ Pray that the work of Student Life and Uni Impact (NZ) would continue to bring disciples into the Kingdom of God. Pray that we would see many people being confronted with the gospel and many coming to Christ in repentance and faith.