{"id":288,"date":"2012-05-09T11:38:00","date_gmt":"2012-05-09T11:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=288"},"modified":"2012-05-09T11:38:00","modified_gmt":"2012-05-09T11:38:00","slug":"greed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=288","title":{"rendered":"Greed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">My husband is my favorite photographer. He can compose a photograph unlike anyone I\u2019ve ever known. <\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-msBSiJ7nzvI\/T6pWnuxo6dI\/AAAAAAAAAOA\/CTxVVJIFkq4\/s1600\/DSC02246.JPG\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" height=\"184\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-msBSiJ7nzvI\/T6pWnuxo6dI\/AAAAAAAAAOA\/CTxVVJIFkq4\/s320\/DSC02246.JPG\" width=\"320\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">While this is no where near his best work, it still remains one of my favorite photographs. He snapped this photo of our two cats as they sat at the table, begging for whatever we might be serving for dinner.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">Unfortunately for them, there was nothing to share. We were sitting around the table drinking coffee and chatting.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">They sat in these same chairs many times through the years. Waiting. Hoping. Begging. Thinking they might receive their greatest desire. Food.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">These two didn\u2019t need any more food than they already had, but they certainly wanted it. That is the definition of greed.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">I recall several people in Scripture who also showed greedy tendencies.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">The Israelites had been wandering for some time. They were tired of the same food. They begged God for something new. God gave them what they wanted.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">Numbers 11:31-34 gives the account. Starting in verse 31 we see God driving <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\">\u201cquail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a day\u2019s walk in any direction.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">The people gathered and gathered. They were greedy.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">God burned with anger against Israel and struck them with a severe plague. Their greed and craving food caused great pain and anguish.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">David was also found desiring something that didn\u2019t belong to him when he saw Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 12 tells this story.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">David and Bathsheba have a sexual encounter at David\u2019s bidding. Bathsheba becomes pregnant. David tries to manipulate her husband and eventually must have him killed to cover his sin. <\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">David is then confronted by Nathan about his green and sin. David repents, but the baby Bathsheba delivers dies.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">David\u2019s greed caused great pain and anguish in many lives.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">Ananias and Sapphira\u2019s story can be found in Acts chapter 5.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">The couple sold a piece of land and gave a portion of the profits to the Church. However, they each told Peter that they had given the full amount of the sale.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">In their greed, they wanted to look good among their fellow Christians and still make some money.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">As a result of this greed, the pair fell down and died.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">Ephesians 5:3-5 says, \u201c<i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\">But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God\u2019s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person\u2014such a man is an idolater\u2014has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">There is to be no hint\u2026of greed! Because it isn\u2019t proper for us. The greed person has no inheritance in God\u2019s kingdom.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">These are harsh words, but God knows how this sin can affect our lives. How it can destroy us. So, He simply says to stay away from it.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not the only pet owner with a pair of greedy pets. I suppose the next time I find them sitting there I should explain greed to them.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;\">Donna<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My husband is my favorite photographer. He can compose a photograph unlike anyone I\u2019ve ever known. While this is no where near his best work, it still remains one of my favorite photographs. He snapped this photo of our two cats as they sat at the table, begging for whatever we might be serving for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_s2mail":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-seeking-god"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}