Between the Garden and the Wilderness

  Then he said to them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because a man’s life is not measured by how many possessions he has.” (Luke 10:15)   What is greed? Greed is defined as, “intense and  selfish  desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.” It’s when we always feel like we want more of something, even though we already have enough. When we let our minds dwell on our feelings of greed, we are choosing not to recognize that what God wants for us is better than what we want for ourselves. What does this mean for me? You’ve probably heard of FOMO, which is being afraid that you’re going to miss out on something if you don’t do it right now. This could look like rushing to get a video game that just came out or grabbing the last snack from the counter because your brother might take it. In short, FOMO is the feeling that something about your life won’t be good unless you get the thing that you want. Greed is a lot like what we ca...

  Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3: 22 -23)     What is mercy? Mercy is defined as,   “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to  punish  or harm.” It’s when we make the decision not to hurt someone just because they hurt us. To be merciful does not mean that you’re admitting someone else is right. It’s simply deciding not to make the situation worse just because you can.   What does this mean for me? There’s a worldly expression that not taking revenge means you’re “being the bigger person,” but this is not what the Bible says. To be the bigger person means that you’re comparing your behavior to someone else’s. You’re saying, “They’re mean, but I’m not!” or “I’m better because I’m not rude.” Yet, the Bible says not to compare ourselves with others (Galatians 6:4). It’s not j...