The 4th of 7... part 1...

We have arrived at the middle of the group, and yet another central portion of our sinful nature is seen here.  Honestly, I could've tackled pride in the 4th position, because pride is literally at the center of all of these sins... well, really it's at the heart of all sins period.  However, it needed to be exposed quickly, and therefore we begin now into what I have selected to be 4th, following a closely related cousin named envy.  This, dear ones, is greed.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Matthew 6:33, ESV

I know, the prior three have all begun with what the sin is and what we should look out for.  They have all been started with warnings and truths about the nature of each one.  This one, however, I have decided to approach differently, in that I will begin with a solid admonition.  I cannot think of any better than the verse above, because greed does NOT relate to only money.  Greed relates to all manner of things that one can keep to oneself, refusing to share with others for the strengthening of God's kingdom.  We just associate it with wealth, because we are a sadly materialistic society.

To give some ease to the beginning, therefore, I will start with money.  Seek God first, and you will be blessed.  Please understand, "blessed" does not mean that you and Bill Gates will be neighbors, and it does not mean that world travel will be something you can just whip out a change purse to pay for.  "Blessed" in this context, means that you will be able to care for yourself and family.  But be warned, for when the focus shifts from God, even though monetary increase may still come, the blessings will begin to slip.  (Never forget, He owns it all, and He decided what portion to give to you, and He can just as easily take it all away.)

Now to the more important things than money, seeking God first in any given area will enable you to be blessed in that same area.  For instance, in the matter of friendship, if you were to attempt to be the kind of friend that Jesus was to His 12, your attitude would be one of self-sacrifice and service.  You would be focused only on the edification of the kingdom in the lives of your friends, and you would use said edification to build them up always, just as it is said in Ephesians 4:29.  Your focus would never, ever be centered upon yourself, and you would constantly look to make your friends' lives more successful, more joyous, more peaceful, whether through knowledge or laughter or even through the occasional and necessary rebuke (done lovingly, of course).

Added to that picture, imagine if you sought God first in your relationship with your children.  If you were the kind of father that The Father is, all of the above statements would be true.  However, you would need to add an additional element to it, because while you do love your friends, you love your kids even more.  Kids come first, and the only time your friends importance would be lowered would be when your children needed to be more important.  You would be the abba father, the agape love daddy, the one man (not being sexist, just using my situation to draw from) that could throw perfect spirals, run bases, work on music, and put up a perfect ponytail (yes, folks, I have a daughter).  Everything you own and everything you work to own for be for the benefit of your children, and your teaching and time would always center around the love of Christ in their lives.

Going just a tad further, imagine your marriage in this scenario.  Your kids rule your heart, but your spouse comes before your children.  I know that's tough, but it is the way things are supposed to be.  Everything you are, everything you do, everything that ever happens is for the building up of your spouse, and it always and everywhere radiates the love of Christ that both of you have.  Seeking God first in your marriage is one of those things that keeps you from hiding money in secret accounts; keeps you from hiding relationships with other people; keeps you from hiding feelings that you are fearful of sharing; keeps you focused on building up your spouse, rather than making sure your spouse knows that you are awesome at any given thing.  Seeking God first in marriage is the way it was supposed to happen... and it is still the way it is supposed to happen... and it's never too late to turn it around, if your focus is elsewhere.

No joke, Christian sibling... it is NEVER too late to turn that focus back to the Father!

Just imagine a world where people sought God first in all things.  Instead of complaining about making breakfast for others and all that I have to do in the mornings, doing it all with a joyful heart to serve my family.  That joy would spread to each of them, and they would show it forward, knowing that their smiles would enable others to smile.  Those others would be able to share their joy forward as well, and before you know it, the guy standing in line in front of you at Starbucks decides to pay for your coffee, because he has been greeted with a lack of greed in the emotional department.  Think about it...

Focus, friends, as we go forward in this 4th installment.  Let's all pray for each other constantly that we could find a way to bless one another, whether we know them or not, with an added smile.  It is free, costs nothing, yet means the world to the one that needs it.  Don't be greedy with your joy.

God bless you all!!!