Greed
Scripture:
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11
Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.
As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?
1 Timothy 6:9-10
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Reflection:
Today I choose to fast from the sin of greed.
What people or characters come to mind when you think of greed? Perhaps Ebeneezer Scrooge. Scrooge displays many of the outward signs of greed - gain at the expense of others, hoarding, cheating and miserliness. But, as we learn throughout the novel, these outward signs are reflective on an internal attitude. Scrooge believes that there will never be enough, that if he is not ruthless in his approach to money then he may be forced to go without.
These inward and outward signs of greed are still at play in the world today, perhaps even in our own lives. Often we hoard and seek to gain more because, deep down, we too believe that there is not enough. Perhaps we believe that our dreams will never be fulfilled. Maybe we even think that God cannot or will not provide for our needs. Whatever the case, these inward signs of greed grow over time and manifest themselves in our attempts to keep control over what we have and gain more in an attempt to remain secure. But as Scripture reminds us, this road leads only to our own destruction and so we must learn to turn from it.
Questions for Personal Reflection:
When am I most tempted to believe that there will never be enough?
What internal beliefs or attitudes keep me from trusting that God will provide for me?
Prayer:
Pray that God would open your heart and mind to better understand what greed looks like in your life and how to move forward from it. Share with God those beliefs and attitudes that lead to more greed and ask God to replace them with beliefs and attitudes of generosity and hope.
These devotions have been adapted from “Lenten Healing: 40 Days to Set You Free from Sin” by Ken Kniepmann.
