Bible Reading: James 1:17-25
Key Verse: Verse 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.”
Key Words: Give me thy vineyard...
As you read the passage in I Kings 21 in regard to Naboth, you will read about deceit, lies, and murder; but all of this stems from the greed of King Ahab who desired Naboth’s vineyard. Unchecked greed is not only a danger, it is deadly. It destroys not only its prey, but it also destroys the person of greed.
Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ringtailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it’s simple. They’ve been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the money to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside. The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can, then start to withdraw it. This he cannot do. His fist is now larger than the hole. The monkey will pull and tug, screech and fight the melon for hours. But he can’t get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Zulus sneak up and nab him.
When we fail to let go of our greed, we will be destroyed. So I challenge you today to examine your heart to see if there be any greed hiding there, and I would challenge you to destroy it before it destroys you.
What to do:
✞ Destroy greed before it destroys you.
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