Author: Dave Dishman (Page 64 of 390)

Greed, for the lack of a better word, is good. This quote from the 1987 movie Wall Street pops up regularly in our cultural narrative. Greed drives our economy and pushes people to advance, yielding respect and comfort and power. Or so we’re told by successful, greedy people.

But the Scriptures mention greed as a terrible attribute. Paul writes, Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.

Why is greed so bad?

Greed ignores the ways of God in a rush for wealth. Commandment #1 states, You shall have no other gods before me. Those who grab more and more make idols out of their possessions. When we embrace greed our goods become our gods.

Greed takes what God intended for others and hoards it for ourselves. Greed feeds cravings and creates animosity. Greed reveals our lack of care for those around us, and ultimately our lack of faith in God. The greedy cannot do unto others as would be done unto them, because they cannot see others as anything more than objects to use.

Despite the messaging, greed is not good. I can combat greed in my life in two ways. First, by asking the Lord to point it out, and second, by giving stuff away. Giving pushes back my tendency towards greed. Donating money, clothes from my closet, time and energy all help me remember who blessed me in the first place.

Beat back greed, and watch the Lord open new doors to goodness and success.

Ephesians 5 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Joel Muniz

Most of us growl in hangriness when our stomachs endure periods of emptiness. The ads showing a person transform from a monster back to a human being after enjoying a candy bar strike home—we’ve all experienced the same phenomenon.

The Israelite community grew hangry as they moved further and further from Egypt, and grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out to this desert to starve the entire assembly to death.”

These folks forgot about foraging for straw and beatings from slave masters. Miracles and plagues and a walk through the Red Sea faded in their hunger. The stomach overwhelms good intentions.

How did the Lord respond? Not with anger or frustration, but simply said to Moses—I will rain down bread from heaven. Which he did for forty years.

I overlook this blessing. When I’m hungry I satisfy my stomach. While I don’t go out and collect manna, I do find plenty to eat in my fridge. In fact, I strive not to overeat. My daily walk to the kitchen reflects a fundamental gift from our loving God.

Which is why we say grace before we eat, to thank the provider of manna—and mashed potatoes—for his daily goodness to us.

Exodus 16 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Parnis Azimi

I try to walk a few days a week. Sometimes I walk with a friend, but most often by myself. I listen to books a lot when I walk, and occasionally a podcast. The steady step after step helps me concentrate.

But sometimes I like to walk with nothing in my ears and no agenda on my mind. After writing about the goodness of the Lord and his enduring love, one psalmist ended with this bit of wisdom:

Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

I know of no better way to ponder—to give thought to something—than to take a walk. Something about the physicality of moving settles my mind and cracks open my soul.

We’re encouraged to muse, ponder, and reflect on the ways of the Lord. For me, it works best when I take a walk.

Psalm 107 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Taylor Jacobs

Ever notice how we treat one another when we drive? Recently a guy zoomed by me, expressed his displease with a finger, and yelled out the window. All for moving a bit too slow on an icy day. If we were walking down the street together, a slow down would engender an “excuse me,” or “beg your pardon.” But encase someone behind glass and steel and anger boils unchecked.

Jesus spoke to this tendency:

What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.

Jesus spoke these words to folks who strived to look good on the outside, to eat the proper foods and follow the rules. But deplorable actions continued to flow, despite their attempts to look good. Their hearts—our hearts—are bent toward selfishness and folly. We present well, but the core of our being gives us away.

The remedy? Allow the Holy Spirit free reign in our hearts to convict and cauterize the wound. When we begin to change from the inside, the outer and inner begin to match. Those around us start to notice, and we might even become kinder behind the wheel.

Mark 7 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Kathy