PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• For most of my life, I’ve been a collector.
I don’t collect much anymore, but at various times, I’ve collected thimbles, coffee mugs, sheep, dolphins, and movie / book memorabilia.
At some point in the world of collecting, it becomes more about the thrill of the hunt than the actual item acquired.
Don’t get me wrong; I have things in my movie / book memorabilia collection that I would never get rid of…
They are unique, hard-to-find items that I could not replace.
Before I recommitted my life to Christ, I would say that the collection was a source of greed for me.
My attitude shifted when I embraced the truth of Matthew 6:19-20 NLT, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”
Those treasured possessions are eventually going to decay.
I still struggle with wants for pretty things, but I am much less impulsive these days.
I’ve learned the importance of defining want versus need.
This morning, I read Luke 12:15b.
Jesus said, “Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
My knee-jerk reaction to that verse is monetary greed or greed for “things to collect.”
But there are other things we’re all greedy about…
Greedy for attention; being the best; winning; and success.
Of this list, I’m all about being the best.
I may be a behind-the-scenes person, but I am also a perfectionist who does not like to be outshined.
My want to be the best at what I do isn’t all bad.
It’s good to want to work hard and give your best effort.
But at what cost?
If my need to be the best means diminishing someone else’s contributions, is it worth it?
If I’m more concerned about winning and getting sole credit, what does it cost me if I scramble over others to be first?
If my greed for being the best means I refuse help and exhaust myself trying to do it all by myself…
Well, let’s just say I’m exceptionally well-acquainted with that one.
Apart from Christ, I can do nothing (John 15:5).
And in the greedy “all about me” moments of wanting to be acknowledged as the best, I have to remember that truth.
That truth enables me to tame the greed inside and remember Who this is really all about – Jesus.
In everything I do, it’s supposed to be about Him and for His glory.
Even when I’m building a spreadsheet, planning a meeting, or writing an article.
Today, as you pray, give praise to Jesus for being the source of all our strength and all our gifts.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you tame any emotional greed and present you with opportunities to let others shine.
And by doing so, give Jesus the opportunity to shine through you!
