[Membersandfriends] Monday, November 22, 2004

Sun Nov 21 22:02:04 PST 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Monday, November 22, 2004

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OVERCOMING OBSESSIONS
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Luke 12:13-31 (NRSV)

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God." 

He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you--you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."

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Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.
- Luke 12:15 (NRSV)
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PEOPLE who are collectors can become obsessive.  No matter how much they have, it is never quite enough.

I collect children's dishes.  I stopped counting after I had 200 sets.  No matter how many I had, there was always one more that I wanted.  My appetite was insatiable; I was as obsessive as an alcoholic, a drug addict, an overeater, or a gambler.

As my collection increased, the prices escalated.  Soon I was spending more money than we could comfortably afford.

One day, in my daily devotions, Luke 12:15 jumped out at me.  I realized that I had become a slave to my possessions and that I needed to rethink my priorities.  I prayed for strength to overcome my problem.

As with any addiction, I had to detach myself from temptation, so I stopped visiting antique shops and internet on-line auctions.  When I was tempted, I asked myself, Will this satisfy me, or will I want more?  Only by prayer have I been able to find the self-restraint to overcome this problem.

Prayer:  Dear God, help us to set priorities, and strengthen us to resist temptation.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God offers us freedom from all our obsessions.

-- Arleen Whittaker (Kansas, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those who are controlled by their possessions

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RELATED READING ...

Based on the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19: 1-9), CLIMBING THE SYCAMORE TREE is a six week study on economic faithfulness.  It provides clear biblical insight and current information to show how our buying habits often marginalize certain people and perpetuate systems that contradict good stewardship and love for God's creation.  Following the experience of Zacchaeus, this group study written by Ann Hagmann seeks to deepen the link between the faith we profess and the lifestyle we live.  Each week's reading consist of five lessons and material for a group session.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=49981

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The scripture quotation is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright (c) 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.