The true nature of greed

An emperor was coming out of his palace for his morning walk when he met a beggar. He asked the beggar, "What do you want?"

The beggar laughed and said, "You are asking me as though you can fulfill my desire!"

The king was offended. He was a powerful and rich king with every earthly good at his disposal. He said, "Of course I can fulfill your desire. What is it? Just tell me."

The beggar said, "It is a very simple desire. You see this begging bowl? Can you fill it with something?"

The emperor said, "Of course!" He called one of his advisors and told him, "Fill this man's begging bowl with money." The advisor went and got some money and poured it into the bowl, and it disappeared. And he poured more and more, and the moment he would pour it, it would disappear. And the begging bowl remained always empty.

The whole palace gathered. The story went throughout the whole capital, and a huge crowd gathered. The prestige of the emperor was at stake. He said to his advisors, "If the whole kingdom is lost, I am ready to lose it, but I cannot be defeated by this beggar."

Diamonds and pearls and emeralds, his treasuries were becoming empty. The begging bowl seemed to be bottomless. Everything that was put into it immediately disappeared, went out of existence. Everything! Finally it was evening, and the people were standing there in utter silence. The king dropped at the feet of the beggar and admitted his defeat. He said, "Just tell me one thing. You are victorious, but before you leave, just fulfill my curiosity. What is the begging bowl made of?"

The beggar laughed and said, "It is made up of the human mind. There is no secret. It is simply made up of human desire."

Even though this story is a fable, I think we all know something about the emptiness of the begging bowl. Each time we get the next thing on our list there may be a temporary lift, pleasure, or excitement. But soon we are longing for the next item on our mental list. The item we have just been granted or gained in our begging bowl disappears. It no longer has importance. That is greed. And it is a part of human nature.

When we get to the point that we understand that things will never satisfy us, we have made a great discovery. When we are truly content with what we have, we are truly rich.

The beggar, even though he asked for something, was not as greedy as the emperor who had something to prove. So it is with the things we have; there is nothing wrong with them in and of themselves; it is our longing for more and feeling proud of our possessions that constitutes greed.

Thanksgiving 2006

Gratitude and giving crowds out discouragement


During this Thanksgiving and Christmas season I find myself thinking more about people than things. Family and friends of the present and past, blessings of the year and opportunities to give and serve.

Among the family and friends both past and present whom I am remembering include my four grandparents Nanny and Pappy Herr and Nanny and Pappy Rapp, I miss each of you so much and can't wait to talk to you again in heaven. My mom who I pray for daily that she will receive Christ and my dad who died in 2003. Brother Bill and his family, though you are far away, you will always be close to my heart. For the mother of my two children, Kim. My son Neil and daughter Lydia, may God richly bless both of you and I thank God every day for the miracle of having two precious children. I thank God for my work, and for Pete and his friendship. My friends at the Nazarene church and Pastor Craig, Dwight and Sharon from Reading Dove. I am grateful for everyone, both strangers and friends who have prayed for me and my family during the past several years. I remember Larry and Raedella and the friends from Charlotte Street Mennonite church in Lancaster. Thank you for praying for me and my salvation and for always loving me for who I was and not judging me for my sinful ways. Thank you Jane and Gene for your unconditional love and support. You will never know the depth of my gratitude for both of you for being there for me. I remember my friends from Lancaster, Scott and Roger my neighbors, Jay and Carolyn from Bavarian Pretzel, and my buddies Rich, Joe, and Big Jim and Jan.

There are so many other friends and family from my childhood and time growing up in Strasburg, Jerre and Jane, the cabin gang, Uncle Dave, Uncle Jerry and Aunt Ida, and all my cousins, especially Scott. I remember all the family reunions. My first real adult friend, Bill Held. Thank you Cindy for your love and prayers and all the IMs. And Lee for your prayers and for your encouragement these past couple years and for the Prayer of Jabez. Miracles happen! I am grateful for Herb McCollum for his kindness and devotion to helping me with my hearing aids. For all the people who have cared for me and my family over the years, Dr. Atwell, Dr. Kotula, Dr. Kimmel, Dr. Wentz. Thank you Rose for being there for the birth of both Neil and Lydia. Thanks Rick for listening and saying just what I needed to hear.

This is from the book Springs in the Valley by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman..."There is a legend of a man who found the barn where Satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart, and on finding the seeds of discouragement more numerous than others, learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. When Satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could never get them to thrive. 'And where is that?' asked the man. Satan replied sadly, 'In the heart of a grateful man.' "

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said: "It is more blessed to give then to receive" (Acts 20:35). So as we remember friends and family let us also show our love and gratitude by giving of ourselves, our love, our time, and our prayers to help those less fortunate. It is blessed to give out of gratitude. It crowds out discouragement.

Life, love and friendship...

It hurts to love someone and not
be loved in return.  But what is
more painful is to love someone
and never find the courage
to let that person know
how you feel.

A sad thing in life is
when you meet someone who
means a lot to you, only
to find out in the end
that it was never meant
to be and you have to
let go.

The best kind of friend is the
kind you can sit on a porch swing
with, never say a word, and then
walk away feeling like it was the best
conversation you've ever had.

It's true that we don't know what
we've got until we lose it,
but it's also true that we don't
know what we've been missing
until it arrives.

It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to
like someone and a day to love someone but it takes a lifetime
to forget someone.     
                      
Don't go for looks, they can
deceive.  Don't go for wealth,
even that fades away.  Go for
someone who makes you smile
because it takes only a smmile to
make a dark day seem bright.

Dream what you want to dream, go where you
want to go, be what you want to be because you have only one
chance at life to do the things you want to do.

Always put yourself in the other's shoes. If you feel that it
hurts you, it probably hurts the person too.

A careless word may kindle strife; a cruel word may wreck a
life; a timely word may level stress, a loving word may heal
and bless.

The happiest of people don't necessarily
have the best of everything, they just
make the most of everything that comes along
their way.

Love begins with a
smile, grows with a
kiss, ends with a tear.