Sin to be Rich?

  

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/032014.cfm) reminds me that God wants more from us than simply avoiding doing bad.

In the gospel, we see the rich man and Lazarus. When the rich man died, he went to hell while Lazarus to heaven. Is being rich a sin, which caused him to be in hell? If course not. It goes deeper than that.

The rich man probably did not deliberately do evil things, but neither did he do good things. He did not help Lazarus, even if he could have easily done so. He probably did not care about others and only wanted riches for himself. He probably did not want to part with his riches, so he did not want to help others. That's probably the sin - his riches took the place of God in his life.

God does not want us to simply avoid doing evil. Well, that’s a very good start, but God needs people who will actively work for him. In the bible, God said that he does not want us to be lukewarm, else he will spit us out of his mouth. If a good person does not plant seeds, no trees will grow, no matter how good the person is. Work is needed. Action is necessary. God wants us to be burning with desire – to do good, to do his will, to do his work.

May we be aware that not doing evil is not enough. We should also do good to others. And may we be careful to not anyone or anything take God's place in our lives.

What are the blessings i have? Am I sharing it with others? Why not? How can I share more?

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for all the blessings. Lord thank you for being so generous. I pray that I wont be so selfish and  not so focused on these material things. May I be willing to share your blessings with others. Help me be aware and protect me that no one and nothing take your place in my life. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-