READ: LUKE 12:13-48; 1 TIMOTHY 6:3-21

Greed is a treacherous sin. But, because Jesus died on the cross for us and rose from the grave, we can be free from the power of every sin, including greed. As people who’ve put our trust in Jesus, we have His Holy Spirit living in us, so we have the power to reject greed—and not only reject it, but replace it. What do we replace it with?

Hope: Instead of setting our hearts on money and other created things, which will pass away, we can put our hope in God, seeking His kingdom and trusting Him to provide for all our needs. When we rely on God, we are free to follow Him wherever He may lead. After all, our eternal future is secure—nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus (Romans 8:35-39). So we don’t have to give way to fear. We have an eternal hope that will never fade (1 Peter 1).

Contentment: Instead of always trying to get just a little bit more for ourselves, which leaves us feeling exhausted and anxious, we can choose to be content with what we have. We can thank God for the many ways He has provided for us. We can rest in His love and enjoy His good gifts—both the material ones and the immaterial ones, like laughter, friendship, and sunshine.

Generosity: Instead of clinging to the things we own, which is driven by the fear that our needs will not be met, we can open our eyes to the needs of the people around us. God has been so generous to us—Jesus gave up His very life to save us from sin and death, and now God calls us His dear children and lavishes us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3; Romans 8:15-18, 32; 1 John 3:1)! When we realize how much we are loved, and how much we’ve been given, that love overflows from us in acts of service and generosity to others.

And whenever we notice greed lurking in our hearts, we can bring it directly to Jesus. As we continue to confess greed, turning away from it and back toward Him, we can choose daily to hope in Jesus, to be content with what God has given us, and to give generously to others, always remembering how dearly we are loved by God. • Hannah Howe

• Which of the three “instead” options sticks out to you most: hoping in Jesus instead of setting our hearts on created things, being content and thanking God for what we have instead of trying to get more and more, or giving generously to others instead of clinging to what we have? What is one way you could practice this today?

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)