Greetings Dear Reader,
I am not wealthy. I
am also quite rich compared to most of the world. I try to be generous and giving. I long to do more than I can. I still feel like I do not do enough to help
others.
Avarice is greed for wealth or material gain. Chaucer said that “avarice is to withhold and
keep such things as thou hast, without rightful need.” It is a word that we do not consider enough when
we ponder our way in the world. It is a
stone far too heavy to carry and yet we throw it easily without thought or even
realization at times. Avarice is at the
heart of the possessions we hold onto that we do not need.
I am not talking about having good things or even being wealthy. I am talking about the desire to possess. The stone is the longing to have things we do
not need so that we feel good. We have dedicated
closets, attics, and rental storage facilities to our avarice. We surround ourselves with possessions. We surely have more than we need. We do this for many reasons and none of them
are centered on following Christ.
The way in which we carry this stone is varied but always
harmful. I am not going to make a
list. We know what we have out of need
and we know what we have out of greed.
The possessions that are ours out of greed weigh us down and make the
journey increasingly difficult. We have
heard often that we cannot take our possessions with us when we reach the
clearing at the end of the path. This does
not prevent us from carrying them to the very end.
I still have more than I need and hear the constant siren
call to carry more. There is great
freedom in having little. There is also
so much good we can do with our excess if we choose to do so. Let us dabble in practical application for a
moment Dear Reader. Think about a need that
you know someone has. Then think about
what you can do to help that need. What do
you possess that could help? What holds
you back from helping? What are you
holding that you do not need that could help you help if you parted with it?
I am not telling you
what to do. I am not judging you. These are questions I ask now when I see
others in need. I consider the things I
have and look to see how I can further the Gospel by sharing what I have. I am not there yet, but I long to drop the
stone of avarice and have Jesus as my only true possession. This also makes it easier for me to depend on
the Father for my daily provision. I
want my confidence to be in him and not in my bank account or my store of
canned goods. There must be balance in
being prepared and having too much.
Avarice will always hunger for more.
It will devour us if we try to carry it. We must drop the stones of avarice even if they are rubies.
The
Things We Leave Behind – Michael Card
There sits Simon, so foolishly wise
Proudly he's tending his nets
Then Jesus calls and the boats drift away
And all that he owns he forgets
But more than the nets, he abandoned that day
He found that his pride was soon drifting away
And it's hard to imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
Matthew was mindful of taking the tax
And pressing the people to pay
Hearing the call, he responded in faith
And followed the light and the way
And leaving the people so puzzled he found
The greed in his heart was no longer around and
And it's hard to imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
Every heart needs to be set free
From possessions that hold it so tight
'Cause freedom's not found in the things that we own
It's the power to do what is right
With Jesus, our only possession
And giving becomes our delight
And we can't imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
We show a love for the world in our lives
By worshiping goods we possess
Jesus has laid all our treasures aside
And love God above all the rest
'Cause when we say no, to the things of the world
We open our hearts to the love of the Lord and
It's hard to imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
And when we say no, to the things of the world
We open our hearts to the love of the Lord and
It's hard to imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
Oh, and it's hard to imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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