The Seduction of Covetousness

One of the verses we read in our last devotional was Luke 12:15, which says,

And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

Jesus begins His teaching regarding prosperity in this passage by saying, "Beware of covetousness." In our society, even in the Church, there are a lot of people whose lives are tied up in "things." The focus of their life is their stuff, and doing whatever they can to acquire even more things.

It is what the Bible calls covetousness.

I want to ask you today, is your heart filled with covetousness? Do you find yourself thinking, "I know the missing ingredient in my life, I just need a little more. If I could just get a little more, I would be happy. If I could just build a bigger house and fill it with a little more stuff…if I could get a nicer car…if I could upgrade…then I would be happy, and then I would be successful."?

A little more, a little more, a little more.

The problem is, however, that desire for more never stops. In fact, as we will see in our next devotional, God called a man a fool because he never realized that riches are only temporary.

If you find your life driven by the need for more things, if you are consumed with stuff, if you define your success by what you have (or do not have), then you have been seduced by covetousness, and you will never find the happiness you are looking for.

Do not be a fool seeking after things. Instead, make the passion of your life seeking after God.

Daily Smile:

A suggestion from a Human Resources Manager:
HOW TO PROPERLY PLACE NEW EMPLOYEES . . .

1. Put 400 bricks in a closed room.
2. Put your new hires in the room and close the door.
3. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours.
4. Then analyze the situation:
a. If they are counting the bricks, put them in the Accounting Department.
b. If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing.
c. If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put them in Engineering.
d. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning.
e. If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations.
f. If they are sleeping, put them in Security.
g. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in Information Technology.
h. If they are sitting idle, put them in Human Resources.
i. If they say they have tried different combinations, they are looking for more, yet not a brick has been moved, put them in Sales.
j. If they have already left for the day, put them in Management.
k. If they are staring out of the window, put them in Strategic Planning.

l. If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved, congratulate them and put them in Top Management.
m. Finally, if they have surrounded themselves with bricks in such a way that they can neither be seen nor heard from, put them in Congress.

FOODIE FRIDAY:

If you like stuffed mushrooms then you are going to enjoy this recipe!!!

Three Cheese Mushroom Bake :-)

1 small onion, chopped
14 oz. button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 T. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 C. italian breadcrumbs
1/2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 C. freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. basil
4 sliced provolone cheese

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the onions, mushrooms, celery and salt. Cook till they become tender and the liquid from the mushrooms has cooked off.

Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and allow to slightly cool. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the egg, breadcrumbs, mozzarella, parmesan cheese and basil. Stir to combine well and pour into a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart dish. Top with the provolone, cutting in half to fit the edges.

Sprinkle with a little more basil if desired. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
Thanks to Janet's Appalachian Kitchen

Happy Friday,

Richard