The Sneaky Grip of Greed (Daily Reflections on Luke 12:13-21)

As a pastor, sometimes you face some interesting, bizarre challenges in working with people in your congregation. It hasn't been uncommon following a death of a loved, especially a last surviving parent, that the adult children come to me and want me to tell their sibling(s) how to divide their parent's estate. On one occasion I received a call from one such surviving adult child telling me that I should call that person's brother and tell him to return a piece of furniture that rightfully belonged to them, and then proceeded to tell me all the reasons. The mother who passed and both the children were active members in our church. The issue was causing a major rift in the family and had become so divisive that they were no longer speaking to each other.

I don't believe that my response was what that person was looking for when they called me. The mother who had just passed was a godly, fun-loving women who could be very direct when she needed to be. I loved her and loved being around her. She had passed away unexpectedly. She was full of life and very active even though she was well advanced in years. She had a quick wit and a poignant way of getting her point across. So I simply replied, "You both are solid believers in Christ and I'm sure your mother would certainly have something to say to you both. What do you think she would say to you both right now?" That was the end of the conversation and they resolved the issue.

Sometimes the quest for material possessions get the better of us. The Bible word for that is greed. Even people who are mostly generous can get caught in the grip of greed. I'm not talking about envy or jealousy or even selfishness. I'm talking about pure, unadulterated greed; that deep, insatiable desire to have more and more and more.

We adopted a puppy about 8 months ago who has gone through all the puppy growing stages. It is funny to watch him because he is not satisfied having just one toy in his mouth at a time. Often times he has two or even three in his mouth. He will even chase his ball with one or two other toys in his mouth. It get's even funnier when he has two or three in mouth and tries to drag his old sheet around that he has in his bed. He has to get them in the right order or he can't fit them in his mouth.

My wife and I laugh at our dog trying to manipulate his jaws around his toys, but it causes me to wonder what God thinks of us trying grab all the stuff we can into our little mits. Our consumer society in the west plays on those inner desires of wanting more. And even though we don't think of ourselves as greedy, we are captured by it nonetheless. 

In Luke 12:13-21 Jesus gives us a gentle but stern warning about the greed that can creep into our lives, even without us being aware. Notice that Jesus points out how our attitude can shift from just trying to be productive to getting more and more and bigger and bigger; making life about us. 

The antidote for greed is generosity! Jesus clearly states that there is a huge difference in making life about yourself and the emptiness it ultimately brings and a life that He says is rich toward God. Being rich toward God is about investing in His Kingdom, not just financially, but wholeheartedly. The nature of God is give. The nature of man is get. Remember Jesus also says here that it's not about how much a person has, greed can seize us no matter what our income level is, so we should guard our hearts. 

God, I don't want my life to be about me and getting all I can. I want it to resemble You. I want to be a giver. I want to pour myself out before You by pouring my life out to others, especially those in need. I want to be rich toward You, Lord. Help me guard my heart against those inner desires for more material things.

Seek First (Daily Reflections on Mt. 6:19-34)

The New Year is a natural time for reflection. It's a perfect time do a quick check on our current status and general direction and tweak our path or practices or habits or diet or financial investments. Each year in January the health clubs get an overflow of new membership signees. Yet studies show us that many of those eager enthusiasts lose heart and drop out of sight within six weeks. Staying focused on our newly established priorities often gets derailed by old habits and daily routines.

It's one thing to announce a new set of priorities or values or even direction. It's quite another thing to pull them off. Newton's Laws may have some impact on the personal patterns of our life. And perhaps the old cliche is right that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Or maybe the one that says, "Old habits die hard." (Sounds like the theme of a new Bruce Willis movie.)

As I was reading through the end of Matthew 6 again it began to occur to me that our vision might have something to do with the inability to get to where we need to go with our life or to become what God would want for our life. In this section of Sermon on the Mount, Jesus starts addressing the base issue. He talks about where we store up our treasure. We can either store up treasure on earthly things or we can store up our treasure on heavenly things. Vision. Where are we looking? What has the greatest appeal to us? What pulls us in for a second look and third look and captures our focus?

In Tolkien's, Lord of the Rings, Smeagol becomes so enamored by the Ring of Power that it consumes his life and transforms him to the hideous life of the creature Gollum. He refers to the rings as, "My Precious." In his own words, "he has to have it." Gollum can no longer see anything else. In the end it destroys him.

Jesus urges us not to store up our treasures on the corruptible things of this earth. He commands us to change our focus to heavenly things, things of His Kingdom which is incorruptible and eternal. He urges us to set our sites not on wealth and materialism and power and position and things that the world considers of great value. Because, what you set your vision on, you will pursue and it will consume you.

And what's interesting is that Jesus goes on in Matthew 6 to talk about the eyes. He says the eyes are the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, he says, then your body will be healthy. If your eyes are unhealthy, then your body will be full of darkness. He's not talking about pink eye or cataracts or glaucoma here. He's talking about our vision, what we set our eyes on. What we set our focus on is what we will become or what will eventually consume us. Focus on the things of this world and in the end we will be consumed by them.

And ironically, Jesus' next twist takes a direct stab at our desire for riches, wealth, money, mammon, personal gain or whatever other word you want to insert there that draws our focus away from heavenly things. He proclaims that it's impossible to serve two masters. And without beating around the bush just comes out and says, "You cannot serve God and money."

It goes back to the eyes and vision and focus and motivation and priorities and the distractions of old habits and daily routines. When we set our eyes on the things of this world, our focus moves off of God and His Kingdom and heavenly things and then our life falls back to ultimate destructive forces. Nobody sets down to gain 40, 50, 60, 100 pounds after finishing high school or college or after getting married or having a baby. Somehow it just grows on us. Nobody after getting married sets out to see if they can ruin their relationship. Nobody tries to purposely overextend themselves financially when the get that job. Yet over time it happens. It's about our eyes!

That's why Jesus tells us not to focus on material, worldly stuff. Is there anything inherently wrong with houses or cars or boats or cell phones or tablets or clothes or having a portfolio? Absolutely not. It's the focus on getting, having, accumulating stuff that pulls us downward and corrupts our lives.  

Jesus says, don't worry about stuff. Do not preoccupy yourself with material goods or gain. Focus on Him not climbing the corporate ladder or adding tallies to your life. Focus on "seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness." God knows what you need. He will meet your needs.

Some of the biggest issues people bring to me or complain about or struggle with are finances, stress and time. And usually the stress has to do with time and/or finances. And time because they are involved in four hundred million things or have their kids in those activities so that some day they can get ahead and have things. And often finances are wrapped in those things too. Of course many time finances are an issue because people haven't managed their resources well because they had to have stuff.

It's no wonder our world fills up with darkness, our hearts fill up with darkness, our lives fill up with darkness and stress and heartache and burdens and those feelings of being overwhelmed overwhelm us. It's the eyes. It's our vision. It's our focus. Seek first HIS Kingdom and HIS righteousness.

God, help me to keep my eyes only on you. You direct me my path, my life, my heart, my thoughts, my finances. I want to be full of light. I don't want those dark feeling to overwhelm me. 

Daily Reflections on Col. 2:2-3 (The Rate of Exchange)

Let's face it, times are tough these days. The economy is a mess. The stock market has tanked. The housing finance industry is a wreck. Foreclosures are at an all time high. Jobs are disappearing daily. The government is printing bailout money like it's going out of style. Not a lot of security out there right now. I have facetiously joked that my wife's 401k is now officially a 201k.

When things are good we put a lot of faith in getting, achieving, acquiring riches. But ironically, the very things we were pursuing are devouring us. Credit is impossible to get if you have any scar on your record. Everyone's job is insecure. With unemployment at a 25 year high and getting worse, bankruptcy court is going to get a lot busier.

With things so insecure in our world today, many scramble for security in whatever they can find, or should I say whomever they can find. Right after the 2008 Presidential Election, one lady interviewed loudly proclaimed, "No more mortgage payments, no more car payments. Obama is going to take care of us." Um, maybe she misunderstood his platform. Just last week, a lady from my church called me to inform me that she was moving in with her boyfriend because he was going to take care of her. Really?

Unfortunately, the riches of this world are fleeting and unsustainable. Material possessions don't satisfy. As Paul says in Romans, people are exchanging the glory of God for idols. True riches, lasting riches are found in God through Christ. Col. 2 pointedly states wealth comes from the full assurance and knowledge of Jesus. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Why do we choose to worship created things versus the the Creator of things? Why are willing to give up intimacy with God for material things or self gratifying things? Why are we willing to purposely defy God to satisfy our personal wants, needs or perceived security? Why are willing to exchange true wealth, true security, true abundant life for temporary pleasure or a lie? Why are we willing to exchange eternity with God for the something that is doomed for ultimate destruction?

God, I'm placing my hope and trust in you, not stocks and bonds or government or people or material things. You truly have the words of eternal life. Why would I seek anything else but you? I'd rather have you, Lord that all the riches in the world, because they can't compare to the wealth I've found in you.

Daily Reflections on Lk. 12:13-21 (On Being Rich)

I don't consider myself rich by any means. I live in a relatively modest neighborhood. I drive a sixteen year old van and a seven year old car. We don't have the latest gadgets, electronics, or big screen TV. We don't have cable or a dish. We use a lot of coupons for groceries and buy new clothes only when necessary or on special occasions. I don't have a boat or a jet ski or own lots of acreage.

Having said that, compared to many people around the globe, in third world countries and inner cities, I'm well off. I don't worry about where my next meal is coming from or where I'm gonna sleep tonight. Sure, I live paycheck to paycheck, but at least I have a paycheck.

Sometimes I look around and wish I had more. I dream of what it'd be like to be Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. What would it be like to have billions of dollars? I'll probably never know. (Okay, I'll never know.) I guess I'll just have to settle for a few cool million. Right.

Why is it that what we have is never enough? I saw a survey a few years ago that asked the question, "How much money would you need to make to be happy?" Ironically, every income bracket chose the income bracket above what they were currently making.

God has a different definition of what makes for wealth. Rich in God's terms doesn't necessarily equate to the world's terms. To the world, rich is the accumulation of material goods. To God, rich is the generosity of our heart and spirit toward others. It is giving versus getting. Jesus said the two mites given by the poor widow was a bigger gift than the large sums of cash tossed into the Temple coffers by the wealthy man.

Jesus didn't condemn the rich farmer for his material success in this parable. He did, however, point to the fruitlessness of his labor collecting goods only for himself. He didn't condemn the man for having or enjoying his wealth. The criticism came for his selfish hoarding. Jesus points out the futility of amassing great wealth. Eventually, it only ends up in the hands of someone else anyway. How much better it would have been in life, if the rich farmer had been a blessing to others. According to God, I'm rich when I share my resources to the aid and benefit of others.

God, you know I have limited personal financial resources, but I want to be rich toward you. I want to be your vessel whereby you bless others. I open myself to you. Make me rich in your eyes.

Daily Reflections on Jn. 14:13-14; 15:7-8 (Is God a Genie?)

Is God a genie? We keep Him bottled up until we want something. Then we uncork the bottle, let God out and ask (or demand) God to grant our wish and we wait for Him to work His magic. When we're done with Him, we put Him back in His bottle until the next time we need or want something.

Many people treat God this way. They read a passage like this and think God will give them anything they ask. In fact there are a slew of religious teachers and showmen that proclaim the reason you're poor is that you haven't "named it and claimed it" in Jesus' name. Some expound you'd never have to be sick; proclaiming if you'd have enough faith God would give you instant healing.

As the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills, God certainly can take care of your financial needs. There's no question that God can and does miraculous healing. And Jesus did say ask Him anything in His name and He would give it to you. However, the genie approach to prayer is not what Jesus had in mind when He said those words.

If you read closely the context of these passages, you'll discover that Jesus is talking about passing on the mantle of fulfilling God's mission and purpose. He's going back to The Father. He's expecting the disciples to pick up the cause and pursue it with all their being, heart, soul, mind and strength. If their passion and purpose is to fulfill God's will and they are relying on God's power to fulfill it, God says ask away. If their desire is to accomplish God's task, with God's power, to God's glory, then go for it.

God, I don't want to treat you like a genie. You don't exist for me. I exist for you. I want to be Your servant. I want to be Your messenger and to accomplish Your purpose for me. I want people to see You, come to know You, experience Your grace and Your victory, to revel in Your glory and majesty, to bask in the light of Your presence, to love You.