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Following is an excerpt of "God or Greed? (8 of 12)" by Keith Krell added on 10/23/2009.
This content is part of a series.
God or Greed? (8 of 12)
Series: Counter-Cultural Christianity
Keith Krell
Matthew 6:19-24

When I was a teenager I was into lifting weights. Over the years, I accumulated a lot of muscle books and magazines. These resources were not cheap, but I got my monies' worth because I read them over and over again. I had a great collection and continually added new editions. After getting married when I was 22, I no longer had the same intense desire to become "buff." (That tells you a bit about my motivation, doesn't it?) We ended up keeping a lot of my personal belongings in our basement storage shed. The box that contained all these books was designated to this storage area. One day as I was preparing for my final semester of seminary, I decided I needed to sell my bodybuilding books because Lori's birthday was a few days away and I needed some cash to buy her a gift. After calling various bookstores in the yellow pages, I decided to take my prized collection to Powell's—the largest used bookstore in the world. After walking into Powell's and placing my box on the counter for evaluation, I went to find Lori a good book on quilting. I found one that I liked for $10.00. As I went to purchase the book, I found out that my collection amounted to either $6.00 cash or $7.25 credit. I couldn't believe it. Every single one of my books cost more than this, and my box was filled to overflowing. Even a professional bodybuilder would have had trouble carrying this box. On two occasions, before signing for my money, I longingly peeked into my box of books. This collection was a part of me, and yet a pittance was all that I could get for it! Needless to say, I humbly took the cash, bought my book, and disappointedly walked out of the store.

On a larger scale, have you purchased a new car, driven it off the lot, and discovered that it depreciated by 33%? Worse yet, have you had someone "key" or rear-end your new car, damaging the showroom appearance? Are you in a situation where you recently purchased a home and now need to move, but you can't get what you paid for your house? Have you diligently put money away for retirement and now you need to draw upon your earnings, but you've lost half of what you invested? Undoubtedly, you've experienced that sick feeling in your stomach on account of money and possessions. Do you ever feel that your possessions possess you? Most likely, if you're honest, you're nodding in agreement. One of God's goals is for you to realize that your money and possessions are not owned, they are loaned. Perhaps you have seen the classic bumper sticker, "You can't take it with you." The point of this expression is: There's no afterlife so live like a pagan, spend everything you have, and go out with a bang! Surprisingly, Jesus agrees with the slogan, "You can't take it with you." However, Jesus tacks on an expression: "You can't take it with you, but you can send it ahead." In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus shares three directives that wil ...

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