There is a term that has now entered our vocabulary as wars of all kinds gain precedence in our world, and it has nothing to do with war. It has to do with resources. The term is “rare earth,” a term used to refer to minerals hidden under the surface of the earth that are used for computers, cell phones, military hardware, and all things electronic. And yes, the minerals are rare. A new generation of technology has created a new greed, and powerful nations like Russia and the US are greedy for such minerals to the point where it is not beyond their range of morality to wage war against their neighbours. There is a growing list of such rare earth minerals, and the count is currently between 17 and 22 of them that are found in countries such as Ukraine which has suffered under the hand of two giants wanting its resources. Such resources are also found in some abundance in Canada, a fact which seems to be motivating the desire for our southern neighbours to want what we have through the exertion of economic pressure.
As I think on these things, I am reminded of how friends and neighbours are distorted by greed to become aggressors and enemies. Among the covenants of morality that Moses brought to the people of Israel from Mount Horeb are, “Thou shalt not steal” and “Thou shalt not covet”. If you read deeper, coveting your neighbour’s wife (adultery) is another form of greed that extends to taking another’s relationship. Greed permeates our society so that the Bible declares that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). That is a frightening thought. Like a malevolent tree, greed distorts love and sinks its roots into the multifaceted world of many evils. Paul warns us further that greed likewise does not spare the believer. He continues, “It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” Stop for a moment. Can you see how greed works? It draws us out from under the cover of our faith and in this place of vulnerability, we are “pierced with many pangs.” Greed swirls around us with the tangles of an all-embracing poisoned tree. Nations are swallowed up by greed. Christians are led astray by greed. Friends and neighbours become aggressors and enemies. And when we are charmed by the many evils that feed the tree of greed – material things, worldly pleasures, an easy life, and a strangling debt – we become wanderers from faith and victims of the terrors that follow. Let’s store up for ourselves treasures in heaven and not on earth. Let’s find in the Lord our Shepherd in Whom “we have no greed or craving” (Psalm 23:1). Let’s be watchful of our hearts. Let’s be careful of greed.
Just Church
At Just Church, our purpose is share with you the true Person of Jesus Christ who is the Lord, our Shepherd. “The vision of Just Church is to establish a church in just the way Christ called the church to be – true to His Word, loving Him, loving one another, and loving the lost.”
