The sickness of Greed

Continuing our series on the sickness within, and my message Sunday was on Greed. We often don't think of greed as being a sickness but Jesus identified it as an issue of the heart. In fact, Jesus taught more about money and possessions then He did faith. I often wonder why people get upset when you talk about money in church when Jesus sure talked about it a whole bunch. Money and possessions can easily consume us. So what is the cure for greed? Naturally it should be giving. Sunday I used the illustration of the cantaloupe. God has given us all cantaloupe. (Some large piles, some medium, and some small.) The pile of cantaloupe doesn't matter, what matters is what you are doing with it. God says to give a portion of your cantaloupe back to Him. Scripture calls it the tithe. (10% of the increase.) God is always a God of firsts in the Bible. (Firstborn, First fruits, etc.) God says give to Him first. In other words don't eat the cantaloupe which is rightfully His. Adam and Eve ran into this problem in the Garden of Eden. They ate of the fruit that God said was His. Because of their sin, Adam and Eve were cursed. When we eat of the fruit that God has given us, we are throwing away the seeds of blessing that God wants to pour out on our lives. When we decide to give God our firsts, we are scattering seeds of blessings on our lives. Time and time again, the Bible promises us that if we give, God will take care of us. Malachi tells us that we will not have enough room to receive the blessings that God has if we give to Him first. So the question for all of us is, what are we doing with the cantaloupe that God has given us. Are we being greedy and holding it dear to our hearts, or our we giving back a portion that is rightfully Gods? When we give, greed's grip lets go and we set ourselves up for the blessings of God.