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1. We need to begin by listening to some actual Bible teaching. <\/strong>Jesus said, \u201cA man\u2019s life is not measured by the amount of his\u00a0 possessions.\u201d Luke 12:15\u00a0\u00a0Jesus said \u201cYou cannot serve God and mammon.\u201d Matthew 6:24\u00a0\u00a0Mammon was the god of money. Greed was the only sin which Christ \u201cdemonized\u201d, as if it is a Power that comes at us.\u00a0\u00a0The rich farmer had his barns full, had security for many years and then he died. And God said to him,\u201dYou fool! This night your soul is required of you.\u201dLuke 12:20 Surprise! You can\u2019t take it with you. Jesus said, \u201cHow hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Matthew 19:23\u00a0\u00a0Jesus said \u201cif you cannot be trusted with unrighteous money, why should God give you the wealth that is real?\u201d Luke 16:11 , that which is infinitely better than all this stuff. Jesus said \u201cLay not up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven\u2026\u201d, Matthew 6:19-20 \u2013 treasure that is secure, treasure that you can take with you. That treasure is God and people and your immortal soul. Those are what you should spend your money on: God and people. For as Saint Paul wrote, \u201cThose who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and they lose their souls.\u201d I Timothy 6:9\u00a0\u00a0And brothers and sisters, by the standards of the ancient world, most of us today, most of us who can afford a computer to read this Blog, are rich.\u00a0<\/p>\n So the first step, when you hear all the propaganda, is to stop and think for yourself, quote the Bible to yourself. Is this what life is really all about? Is all this lust for things making us happier? Is greed creating a better and kinder society?<\/p>\n And then, especially if greed is your particular weakness:<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0 Simplify your life.<\/strong>\u00a0Almost all of us in our culture need far less than we have. Cut back on what you buy, on what you\u2019ve got.\u00a0Again, the monks and nuns are the Church\u2019s witness to the fact that we don\u2019t really need much.\u00a0Father Barnabas (+of blessed memory) was our parish\u2019s \u201cmonk on Mount Athos\u201d. He was chrismated here and only two years later was settled at Karakallou Monastery on Athos and remained there the rest of his life. He owned nothing and (as I described last week) he ate what I called \u201cGreek medieval peasant food\u201d (yuck!) and he was a happy man. So give up many things. Obviously we live in the world, and we have financial responsibilities. Pay your bills.\u00a0Feed your kids. Try to get them through college. Don\u2019t be stingy with your spouse. But cut back on\u00a0yourself.\u00a0Prove to yourself that you don\u2019t need all this stuff.<\/p>\n 3. Give lots of money away. <\/strong>Regarding money, John Wesley the Methodist preacher said, \u201cEarn all you can, give all you can, save all you can\u201d.\u00a0He listed giving second.\u00a0Is that scary?\u00a0Only at first.\u00a0Christ told us how it works.\u00a0He said \u201cSeek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be yours as well.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Matthew 6:33\u00a0\u00a0The Apostle Paul explained God\u2019s economic system: \u201cGod who creates all things is able to make all things abound.\u201d\u00a02\u00a0Corinthians 9:6-15\u00a0\u00a0It is in the nature of things that \u201che who sows sparingly reaps sparingly, he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully.\u201d\u00a02 Corinthians 9:6\u00a0Give lots away and you\u2019ll find that God will give even more back to you, in one way or another.\u00a0Those who practice this, who give sacrificially to Church and charity, know that it works.\u00a0\u00a0If we don\u2019t open our hands and let go of what we\u2019ve got, how can we take hold of the greater gifts that God wants to give us?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n We have practiced this at Saint Nicholas, Cedarburg, from the day we were founded almost thirty\u00a0 years ago. We had no money to spare at first, and the parish council thought I was crazy when I insisted on this: Off the top each month, we have given 10% to the Archdiocese and 10% to charity, plus many additional gifts \u2013 just two weeks ago $5000 for a special need. I figure that our little church has now given away well over half a million dollars. I say this not to brag but only to point out that it works. We have never had an unpaid bill. Our church building was paid off long ago. We have a good bit of money saved for a rainy day. (Literally. Our slate roof is over a century old.) In the process, we at Saint Nicholas have seen for ourselves how God\u2019s economic system works.<\/p>\n Do you want to know the chief reason why the United States government has financial problems, why we keep running short of money?\u00a0There are many economic theories about this, but I think in the end it has little to do with worldly economics.\u00a0It\u2019s because we are not cooperating with God\u2019s economic plan as spelled out in the Bible.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Here are figures regarding foreign aid, provided by OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), which was founded by the United States and many other countries in 1961. OECD monitors the total amount given by countries for economic development and needs of the poor around the world. Now read carefully: The United States is the largest donor in absolute dollars, since we have by far the largest economy. However in terms of percentage of gross income, the US currently comes in 20th of member countries. We spend approximately 0.17%. Sweden is now first, giving 1.40% of their gross national income. The US is just ahead of Greece which, despite their recession, gives 0.14% \u00a0If we add countries which are not members of OECD, the US would rate considerably lower.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThose who sow sparingly reap sparingly.\u00a0Those who sow bountifully reap bountifully.\u201d\u00a0We act out God\u2019s principle every Sunday in the Divine Liturgy. We let go of ourselves, offer ourselves to God under the forms of bread and wine, and look what we get back in return: heaven, eternity, the Body and Blood of Christ our God.\u00a0Everything in\u00a0life works like that.\u00a0And after we\u2019ve applied this principle to our money and possessions for a while, we learn to give not grudgingly, as Paul says, but cheerfully. For we are cured of greed. We see how much more pleasant it is to be generous instead of being greedy, how much joy it brings.\u00a0We discover that we don\u2019t need to clutch, cling, worry about money.\u00a0Really, are greedy people happy?\u00a0They\u2019re consumed with anxiety: \u201cHow can I hang onto what I\u2019ve got? I\u2019ve got to get more.\u201d\u00a0But now we know by experience that God provides. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s an old saying: \u201cGod never allows anyone to outdo him in generosity\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0And that is the cure for greed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 1. We need to begin by listening to some actual Bible teaching. 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