Greed's Grip
Thursday's Devotion (3-15-07)
"The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want." Proverbs 13:25 (KJV)
Certainly, this verse is talking about more than food. I'd say that it's talking about all things. The wicked want everything in over abundance, they want more than they'll ever need. They don't just want their own share, but they want yours and mine as well. The righteous however, are content with just enough, with just the right amount. The wicked are kind of like dogs... You give them their portion, they eat and while you're eating they come over to get yours too. They want more, more, more! Enough is never enough for these people. This is sin! Look at how many billions Bill Gates has for example... I know he does donate money to charities, but he's still left with more than he'll ever need! There is no possible way he can spend all of his money in his lifetime, but at the same time... Other people are going without. I'm not trying to judge Bill Gates, but people are going without while others have too much. One person having so much money doesn't really help the economy in my opinion. But hey, that's the way it's going to be. Bill Gates is going to continue to gather riches, but as for me I'll be satisfied with my portion and with the Lord.
We go back to being content, we have to be content. We don't need all those riches, we don't need to eat until our stomachs explode, all we need is enough to get by and Jesus by our side. At the same time, I do believe in prosperity for believers, but to me that means to have enough to live, "comfortably." By comfortably I mean to have enough without having to put groceries back at the counter. I don't believe that the Lord wants us to be poor, but I believe that even if we are He wants us to be content. If we're not content in the Lord, then we'll stay poor... And our lives will stay poor: We'll be poor spiritually, mentally, physically, and in every other way possible. If we're not content then we have a spiritual sickness. That sickness is greed. Greed is capable of getting a grip on any one of us and completely destroying us, IF WE LET IT! Repeat aloud: "I will not let greed get a grip on me!" But more importantly, say a prayer that it won't.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins as we forgive all those who've wronged us. Help us to be content with all you have given us, especially yourself. Don't let greed get a strong-hold on us and if it's already got us then pry it's hands off of us and free us from it. In Jesus name. A-men!
God bless