October 17, 2020 CAC Living Water Devotional : Topic – BEWARE OF GREED

 

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CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH

THE LIVING WATER {July ~ Dec., 2020}

DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE

Saturday, October 17, 2020

– International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

TOPIC: BEWARE OF GREED

Read 1 Kings 21:1-15

[1]And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

[2]And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.

[3]And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

[4]And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

[5]But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?

[6]And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.

[7]And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

[8]So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.

[9]And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:

[10]And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.

[11]And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.

[12]They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

[13]And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

[14]Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

[15]And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.

MEMORISE: The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field (1 Kings 21:24)

EXPOSITION

On this auspicious International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, let us talk about a major vice that makes people poor in spirit, and life-greed. Greed is totally condemned by God. Jesus warned against it. The value of life is not in what we possess. Greed destroys. Wealth is not life.

Greed is the desire for what God has not yet given one. We should desist from unnecessary storage of materials for ourselves.

Moderation is God’s way of life. Let us imbibe it. Greediness is foolishness. We do not allow God to rule us when we are greedy. It shows we lack the wisdom of God.

In Col. 3:5, Greed is termed sin, and God warns us to do away with it. It is worshipping material things instead of God. It is a taboo to talk of greed among the children of God, even when it is a norm among unbelievers; for not one greedy person will inherit kingdom of God: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor covetous, … will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10).

Greed is a cankerworm that eats up the fellowship with God. The rich man called fool, died prematurely because of greed. Laban would have written his name in gold, if greed had not prevented him (Gen. 30:30ff).

Beware of it. Gehazi missed all and ended up being a leper because he was greedy. It also prevented King Ahab from ending it well (1 Kgs. 21:1ff). It prevents right and godly thinking and actions. A greedy man can do anything for gain. Greedy people have no shame.

Dear devour, you can be what and who God wishes you are without greed (Prov. 22:10). The blessing of God makes rich. Don’t falsify that document for more gain. What did Lot get from his preferred seemingly fertile land? Being greedy has not brought any good to anyone, yours cannot be exceptional, if you are greedy. Don’t do it!

PRAYER POINTS

1. Every trace of greed in my life, get out, now, in Jesus’ name.

2. Lord, let Your Spirit rule my life completely for Your glory.

3. Lord, deliver our youths from greed that makes them do all sorts of evil.

EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Isaiah 44 – 46

Author: C.A.C WORLDWIDE

Remain blessed!