Greed - Covetousness

Luke 12:15-21
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. (KJV)

Since my husband and I have been suffering a dramatic loss in our income I decided to research The Great Depression. As a young child I heard my parent’s tell stories about the Depression in 1929. It was our history and that is how I treated it -- as history. Never had I imagined that now we would be so close to where they were back then. Unemployment is now up to ten percent. During the Depression it was 13 percent. In those days there was no unemployment insurance so they could only guess at the numbers who were actually out of work. Today not everyone (including myself) receives unemployment compensation so that the ten percent is not quite accurate either.

The use of credit has allowed many of us to lay back and not be concerned that we owe someone else for our wants. A quote from a gentleman who lived through The Great Depression was “Never buy anything you can use – only what you can’t live without.” I can see now that I need to conform to this pattern that has been lost to me. Abuse of credit has permitted us to gather up possessions and then have them become part of our character. Can we only get by on what we cannot live without? Can we go back to the traditional values of yesterday?

As I watch my options unfold like wings of a bird I am beginning to take flight as I regard every dollar spent as a dollar lost forever. That is not a bad thing!! Being frugal can escalate into actually being able to help other people in need too. I have been careless over the years with my finances and do not mind admitting it. If I acknowledge my mistakes I can move on and correct them.

I have always heard people say that God’s laws were how our country was begun. Now with all the hate and discontent toward AIG and the other banks with their big pocketbooks and bonuses, I wonder how we fit into this mess. It hurts to know that I am going to a food bank for assistance while others get rewarded for their greed. Don’t we all have consequences for our wrong doing? The materialism that I have fallen into others have as well. Oh why didn’t we pay attention to the warning of God’s Word? Luke 12:15 Then he [Jesus] said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’” (NIV).

Heavenly Father, please forgive my disobedience to You. I have not followed your warning and have allowed greed into my life. You have promised to provide for me yet I wanted more. Holy Spirit I request that you hold my hand as I make the necessary changes in my life and be obedient to you. In Jesus name, Amen.