Living in the Spirit
July 30, 2022
Scripture Reading:
Luke 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’
Greed is the pandemic we really need to be worried about. I wrote about it in 2011 and if anything it has gotten worse. Greed is idolatry. In most cases we today are far too sophisticated to bow to a bronze statue. Greed as a controller of our lives is very real and I fear we all have contracted it at one time or another and far too many are addicted to greed-always wanting something bigger and better. I am reminded of the old country and western song A Satisfied Mind.
How many times have
You heard someone say
If I had his money
I could do things my way
But little they know
That it’s so hard to find
One rich man in ten
ith a satisfied mind
Money can’t buy back
Your youth when you’re old
Or a friend when you’re lonely
Or a love that’s grown cold
The wealthiest person
Is a pauper at times
Compared to the man
With a satisfied mind
Prayer: Lord, grant us the gift of a satisfied mind and the courage to maintain it. Amen.
The first, second, fourth, and fifth segments of A Satisfied Mind written by Jack Rhodes / Red Hays see at https://www.google.com/search?q=Lyrics+by+author+of+a+satisfied+mind&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS987US987&oq=Lyrics+by+author+of+a+satisfied+mind&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l3j33i299j33i22i29i30l3.11242j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.