Steven Covey reached national fame for his management book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I believe one reason for his success is that the principles in his book are very Biblical, very Christ-like.  The first three have to do with our own goal setting -- taking responsibility for our life, and the second three have to do with interpersonal relationships. The seventh principle deals with renewal.  Habit number four, according to Covey, is about adopting a win-win attitude.  An attitude that says we are not going to be happy if we win at somebody else's expense. At the core of this principle is the belief there is enough pie for everybody -- a belief that God's grace is sufficient to meet the needs of all of His people. This attitude is the opposite of the deadly sin of greed. Our text this week from the Gospel of Mark shows how Jesus revealed the sin of greed to a young man. As you read the text don't let the description of the young man as being wealthy limit your understanding of the sin of greed. Greed is not about wealth. Greed is about an attitude. As we explore the text this Sunday we will see that greed is rooted in the fear that there is not enough to share. In contrast, the fruits of the Spirit of Goodness and Faithfulness are rooted in the belief that God can meet all of our needs out of the abundance of His riches and glory that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Philippians 4:19)

Each week through March 21^st I will be contrasting the Seven Deadly Sins and the Fruit of the Spirit to help us examine our lives and determine what kind of tree we are, because Jesus said: A Tree Is Identified By Its Fruit.

This Week: Greed & Goodness and Faithfulness

.Music This Week

Our congregation will sing Holy, Holy, Holy and Be Thou My Vision

Choir Anthem is In Remembrance

Our Praise Team will lead us in When It's All Said & Done.