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

Defining Your Personal Value

    Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

BIBLE MEDITATION:
  “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Do you try to be the best or do you simply try to do your best? The perfectionist has to be the best. He has to be #1. He can’t accept himself.

The grace of God exalts a man without inflating him, and it humbles a man without debasing him. The person who strives for excellence says, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”

Do you value yourself by what you do or by what you are? You have a choice. You can either choose to see yourself as God sees you, or you can choose to see yourself as the world sees you. Whose opinion will you listen to today?

ACTION POINT:
Is there someone in your life whose opinion matters deeply to you? Instead of defining who you are by their opinions, measure yourself by God’s standard in His Word.

Daily Smile:

A Cajun named, Jean Paul, moved to Texas and bought a donkey from an old farmer named Ben for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day, Ben drove up and said, "Sorry, but I have some bad news. The donkey died."

"Well, then, just give me the money back," said Jean Paul

"Can't do that. I went and spent it already." Replied Ben

"OK, then. Just unload the donkey," said Jean Paul.

"What ya going to do with him?" asked Ben.

"I'm going to raffle him off," said Jean Paul.

"You can't raffle off a dead donkey!" uttered Ben.

"Sure can. Watch me. I just won't tell that he's dead," said Jean Paul.

A month later Ben met up with the Cajun and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"

"I raffled him off, I did. I sold 500-hunderd tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898," said Jean Paul.

"Didn't anyone complain?" inquired Ben.

"Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back,” said Jean Paul.

Why Shout???

A theology professor was teaching about 

Proverbs 15:1. He asked his students, "Why do we shout in anger?  

Why do people shout at each other when they are upset? 

The students thought for a while. One of them said, because we lose our calm, we shout for that.  "But why shout when the other person is just next to you?" asked the professor.

"Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you are angry?" 

The students gave some other answers but none satisfied the professor. Finally he explained, "When two people are angry at each other, their hearts psychologically distance themselves. To cover the distance, they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will shout to hear each other through that great distance. 

Then the professor asked, "What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why?  

Because their hearts are psychologically very close. The distance between them is very small. 

The professor continued, "When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they even get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all.... 

So next time you shout to a loved one, know that you are creating distance between your heart and that person's heart. 

A gentle answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.  Proverbs 15:1

Remember
Only one life, will soon be past,
Only what is done, for Christ will last.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Love & Prayers,

Michael J. Knight.

Daily Smile:

Q. How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Just one, but that light bulb really has to want to change!

Laodicean Supplications

    One of the things I do not care for in some denominations is a situation where the minister is constrained or coerced into

preaching on certain topics. In some instances this occurs on each Sunday of the year. Such practices obviously diminish the workings of the Holy Spirit in the preaching ministry. Having said that, I do admit to favoring topical sermons based on

important  observances as the Spirit gives direction or permission. Even the most informal of churches have pastors who will preach sermons on some special occasions throughout the year. In fact, many pastors feel they absolutely must be in their own pulpits for some special events.

    In the USA, some national observances spark the attention of the preacher. These include national holidays like Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, and Thanksgiving. In a sense they make holidays holydays as they should be. Overlooked by many are the opportunities to bring to life and show some of the Christian significances of the holy

days of the Old Testament. I have preached messages when those days fell on or near the Lord’s Day over the years and found they were often greatly used of the Lord. Such observances as Passover, Hanukah, Yom Kippur, and Purim particularly lend themselves to such preaching.

    As I recently promoted such preaching, a friend pointed out an obvious problem connected with observance preaching intended to encourage believers to pray about specific issues. That is some churches have moved so far away from God in this Laodicean Age that if any united

supplications are made they are likely to go unheard by the Almighty. In fact, many churches have moved away from the Lord so that Ichabod (the glory has departed) is written on their spiritual doorposts. We often mourn the decline of some institutions when we should rather mourn their abandonment of the Lord and Saviour.

    One thing we should remember in these Last Days is the condition of the possession of a Laodicean spirit, being neither cold nor hot. (Revelation 3:16) Thinking themselves rich can extend to the resources for

preaching sermons based on observances without the direction, guidance, and support of the Holy Spirit (3:17) Sufficiency resting in the process instead of the Person of deity! We are told to anoint our eyes with a

spiritual eyesalve so we might see. (3:18) It has always been important that both the preaching and the prayer it might draw forth be in the will of God. But I think as things

come to the end and the challenges grow the importance and urgency of divine inspiration is increased. It is certain that many go uninspired and are instead expiring!

Daily Smile:

The Checking Account
 
Jim's beautiful wife was having trouble mastering the fine points of balancing the checking account.

 
"The bank returned the check you wrote to the department store," he said.

 
"Good," she replied. "Now I can use it to buy something else."