Take Care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.

Luke 12:15

People find many ways to let greed enter into their lives and steal away the spiritual and emotional wealth gained only through generosity. They can be greedy with their possessions (money or objects), their time, their love, or their energy and hard work. People can aspire to great positions and work hard, but in some cases, only to surround themselves with an abundance of possessions. Seldom does this type of self-indulgence truly reward a person. Often a person who works diligently and tirelessly for the sole purpose of obtaining more and better possessions only creates an insatiable need for an abundance of such material possessions.  

As a young adult, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel with a group to Chile on a mission trip. We were building wardrobes for the dormitory at an agricultural school in the Andes Mountains. Although the school was in the mountains, we were staying and working in the Iquique Province. As we walked with our hostess from the church through the city, we encountered many homeless people asking for money. Having little experience in calculating the value of the local currency and no knowledge of the economy, I would often give money to those in need only to encounter shocked looks on the faces of those accompanying me.   They would tell me that I really shouldn't give the amount of money I was giving so I would inquire why it was "not a good idea" as they would tell me. The answer was because the amount of money I was giving to those in need was much more than most of the people working made in a whole day's salary.   I realized then that what I felt was a small amount was "abundance" to the people in this area of Chile. I realized that the happiness and spiritual well being of the people we met came from having basic needs met and feeling a sense of closeness to God and not from material possessions.

When we are following Jesus' direction to be generous with the gifts we have been given, we find more of what is special in life and are less greedy for items which distract us from our relationship with God or others. A person can be generous with his or her time, hard work and possessions and feel more of the blessings of life than one can ever feel from surrounding himself or herself with an abundance of material possessions.

Prayer: Dear God, Please help us focus of how we can use our time, energy and possessions for your work. Help us to avoid distractions from material items and greed for an abundance of possessions. Please help us to feel the true joy in our lives through our generosity. In Jesus' name, Amen.