The Seven Deadly Sins--Greed

Been preaching on the Seven Deadly Sins—really interesting study. Just finished the sermon on greed. Here is a quote on greed from Clement of Alexandria, a second century theologian, that I found really interesting. I think that this was taken from a sermon he did from Mark 10 on the Rich Young Ruler. Clement notes that by making God your treasure we defeat the life stealing thief of greed. Here is what he says:

“For he who holds possessions and gold and silver and houses as gifts of God, and from them ministers to the salvation of men for God the giver, and knows that he possesses them for his brothers sakes rather than his own, and lives superior to the possession of them; who is not the slave of his possessions, and does not carry them about in his soul, nor limit and circumscribe his own life in them, but is ever striving to do some noble and divine deed; and who, if he is fated ever to be deprived of them, is able to bear their loss with a cheerful mind exactly as he bore their abundance—this is the man who is blessed by the Lord … a ready inheritor of the kingdom of heaven, not a rich man who cannot obtain life.”

Challenging thoughts. Greed is so much a part of our lives, we are completely unaware of it.