December 22 -- Man-Eater
December 22
Man-Eater
Bible Reading: Ephesians 5:3-7
3But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Luke 12:15
And He said to them, “Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
MANY, MANY YEARS ago there was an old man who lived with his son in the forest. The people in the village nearby used to call the old man a miser and say that he kept stacks of money hidden in his house. Some even said that he could rub a silver coin for hour after hour until it would turn to gold!
One day the old man was out chopping wood when a wild tiger appeared and pounced on him. The tiger gripped the old man by the shirt on his back and carried him off, dangling the miser from his mouth the way a kitten might carry a rag doll.
The old man's son saw everything that happened and ran to get his rifle. He soon caught up to the tiger that held his father. The son raised his rifle to shoot the tiger and to save the old man.
"Wait!" cried the old man. "Don't shoot! Aim carefully," he instructed his son. "If you can kill this tiger without spoiling his beautiful hide, we can skin him and get many pieces of silver! Shoot carefully, my son, so that we may get top price for the tiger's skin!"
As the son listened obediently to his father's instruction, he lowered the rifle slightly from his shoulder. The tiger, seeing his opportunity to escape, suddenly bounded into the forest, carrying the old miser with him. The son pursued but could not catch the nimble tiger. He never saw his father again.
That old story illustrates the dangers of greed. By thinking only of money and of his own gain, the old man foolishly lost his life. That's why Jesus said, "Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15, NIV). Greed is sin, and sin never made anyone happy and complete, though it has destroyed many people's lives. So be on your guard against all kinds of greed, and cultivate a spirit of generosity instead.
REFLECT: Unscramble the scrambled words to complete the following statements, based on today's Bible reading:
No greedy person will thineir the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
A greedy person is really an toadiler who worships the things of this world.
Don't rappaticite in the things these people do.
PRAY: "Dear God, I know that my life and happiness aren't measured by the abundance of my possessions. But it's easy to forget that and start to be greedy. Remind me how wrong and dangerous greed is and how much better it is to be generous."
Answers: inherit, idolater, participate