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VS. March 28, 2025 Devotional

by David Joynt on March 28, 2025


LUKE 12:15 | 15 And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’

 

Jesus summed up much of what we have discussed this week in a phrase and in a parable. “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” There are many kinds of greed. There is a desire to possess to impress, to live out the mottos that in life “he who has the most toys wins.” There is the desire to own things rare and expensive for private enjoyment. There is an ego-driven greed that says “I deserve the absolute best of everything.”

 

Jesus thinks all these forms are finally foolish. True life, abundant life is incompatible with greed. Vigilance against greed is necessary in our world. In which marketing trumpets the “life transforming” power of every new gadget, and dissatisfaction with our current standard of living is encouraged to drive the next purchase.

 

Are you on guard?

 

 

Gracious God,

Give me a strong defense against manipulation and marketing. Let my dissatisfaction give way to gratitude.

Amen.

 

About the Author
David Joynt

Dave Joynt began his service as a pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona in September 2014. This meant a move away from the Northeast, where he has a long history, growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then serving congregations in Delaware and New Jersey for a total of 23 years.

Dave was nurtured in a great church in Bethlehem where his parents, Anne and Carey, served as elders. He graduated in classics from Lehigh University where his Father taught, and then from Oxford, where he met his wife Julia. Ordained in 1988, he completed a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1993.

He and Julia have a son, Tristan, and a daughter, Madeleine.

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