Wastefulness is to dishonour God: if there is anything you would sacrifice for God, it means nothing if you would sacrifice the same thing for nothing.

"The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious." Pr 12

Unless something is precious to you, you can give nothing precious to God.

It is a temptation to confuse greed and desire, and so to excuse ingratitude as contentment.

"he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich" Pr 21

Note that he is saying "not be rich" as a consequence. If you love the Giver of wealth, then you love wealth as a good gift from the good Giver.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights" Ja 1
"I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour" 1K 3

Rejoice in substance, let it be precious to you, because it is a gift given in love from someone you love - and only for that reason. That is the only reason anything is good.

If you put the cart before the horse, and love wealth above or rather than the Giver, this is to "worship and serve the creation rather than the Creator", and thus is covetousness idolatry:

"covetousness, which is idolatry" Col 3

If instead of loving wealth more than God we love God more than wealth - but do not love wealth at all, this is ingratitude, and says nothing good about our love for God. It is not enough to simply Love wealth less than we love God - we must love wealth not at all, except as a gift from God - and our love of wealth for that reason, because it is a gift, reflects directly on our love for the Giver.

If we love wealth even the smallest amount as something separate from God, then it is that much greed and idolatry. "You cannot serve God and mammon". If we love good things as from God, as part of our love for God, any lack we have in this love is that much ingratitude and indifference towards God, a lack in our love for him.

"Thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which Yahweh thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house" Deu 26

#sabbathposts 2023/12/02