Daily Devotional – Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Luke 12:15 (NIV)
“The rich are getting richer while the poor are becoming poorer”, is almost a cliché in our society today. Reliable statistics, however, support the claim. The UN reports that in 2020, income inequality had increased in majority of developed countries and middle-income ones. The focus has often been on the glaring inequalities in developing countries.
While the widening gap between the rich and the poor can be attributed to individual effort, the primary problem is greed. Someone has said that if the world’s financial resources are redistributed equitably, no one on earth would have to go without basic needs.
Becoming rich and wealthy is not wrong in itself. It is the abuse of privileges and the exploitation of the poor that the Bible warns against. Many wealthy people have gathered fortunes by paying below-average wages to their workers. Manipulative business practices and exaggeration of prices have produced many dollar millionaires and billionaires.
When addressing the issue of greed, Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Christ tells us there are many kinds of greed. Even poor people can be greedy because greed is an attitude.
The Lord gives a reason for His warning – the essence of life is not in accumulation of material possessions. There is more to life than having wealth. In Hebrews 13:5, we read, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”” Hebrews 13:5.
The moment money and wealth become your obsession at the expense of your relationship with God and humans, you risk losing eternal life. Rich or poor, remember it is God who gives the strength to acquire wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Greed is contrary to God’s principles of love and sharing with the less privileged.
Prayer
Dear God, keep my heart from all kinds of greed. Amen
Greed, Lust, Anger, Jealous and Pride are vices, when practised,hinders a person from trusting and loving God. Also a person fail to love neighbour as oneself. Failure to do that automatically is SIN. The best we can do to avoid sin is to avoid entertaining these vices in our daily endeavours. May God bless you all.
Thanlnyou for the insight, my senior. This is the plain truth. Be blessed.
Dear friend, to support this ministry, please:
1. Comment on this devotional.
2. Share this devotional on social media using the icons provided.
3. Subscribe to my email list by clicking on the green ENVELOPE icon.
4. Click on the ads to help generate income for hosting and sustaining this website.
God bless you.