Greed – A Fearful Master
Greed is a strong and selfish desire to have more of something, most often money or power. There are many warnings in the Bible about giving in to greed and longing for riches. Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal… You cannot serve both God and money”
(Matthew 6:19, 24b).
Did Jesus pursue the acquisition of money?
No. On the contrary, He became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9) and had “no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). Neither did Jesus pursue power. Rather, He instructed, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43–45).
How can I know if I’m greedy?
There are many signs of greed.
Before we look at these signs, let me warn you that we need to be careful to judge ourselves and not others (Matt. 7:1-5). It’s easy to apply this to others and to justify myself, but I need to remove the log from my own eye. If you think that another Christian is being deceived by greed, your responsibility is gently to seek to restore him (Gal. 6:1). But we each have to stand before God someday. So we need to face these matters personally and honestly on the heart level before Him.
Hence
Would You Call Yourself a Materialistic Person?
For example . .
How many items do you usually buy when you’re “window shopping” at the mall?
Do you need what you buy, or do you simply want it?
Do you have more “stuff’ than you have space in which to store it?
Does buying new clothes make you feel better? For how long?
Do you use cash or a credit card? Are your credit cards maxed out?
Will we ever be satisfied with what we have?
The answer is No if we are gripped in the vise of greed and its twin sister, materialism.
To be materialistic is to take interest exclusively, chiefly, or excessively in the material or bodily necessities and comforts of life.
To be greedy is to never have enough.
Is it possible to be a believer and a materialist at the same time?
Yes, most definitely. But it’s not possible to be a committed, growing believer with divided priorities:
Money is God’s great rival for our hearts. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Luke 16:13).
The love of money and the things it can buy makes us greedy for more, no matter how much we have. As Scripture teaches us, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (Eccles. 5:10).
Have you noticed that we’re talking about a love affair with money?
Love of money will impede our growth to maturity because it keeps us from loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Greed results in displacing the One who has the right to be King on the throne of our lives. That’s why greed is called “idolatry” in Colossians 3:5.
Here’s a standing and perfect example in the Bible what greed can lead to
A King Who Wanted More
Ahab, king of Israel, had just about everything but character, and he was married to a woman who was even worse than he was, Jezebel. He was very wealthy. He had one entire palace inlaid with ivory. And he had another palace in Jezreel. One day as he looked out the window of his Jezreel palace he saw a vineyard that he thought would make a nice vegetable garden for himself. The only problem was it belonged to someone else, a man named Naboth.
Here’s what the story enfolds
“Ahab said to Naboth, ‘Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth” (1 Kings 21:2-3).
Naboth refused to sell because he was obedient to God’s instructions about the land. When Israel first took possession of the land, every family received their plot of ground. The land could never be permanently sold and was to remain in that family’s possession forever. But instead of respecting Naboth’s reasons for not selling, look what Ahab did:
“Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, ‘I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers’ He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat” (1 Kings 21:4).
Real mature, wasn’t he?
But he demonstrates something we all do. He focused on what he didn’t have. Ahab expressed no gratitude for all his wealth, his power, or his palaces. Instead, he lay on his bed sulking and fasting in protest for not getting his way.
How do you react when you don’t get what you want?
Maybe you want to redecorate the bedroom, order new carpet or furniture, but your husband isn’t ready for that. Maybe he’s saying no because you’re over the limit on all your credit cards. Or it may be that he just doesn’t agree with you about the need for such things. Maybe he’s tight with money. Whatever the reason, your reaction is your responsibility.
Do you shop around and find the best prices and show him how much you’ll save by doing some things yourself? Do you pray and tell the Lord you are willing to wait for His timing? Or do you nag, sulk, and give your husband the silent treatment?
Ahab sulked and fasted long enough to irritate Jezebel, who is a perfect example of what a wife shouldn’t be. When she found out about Naboth’s refusal to give up his vineyard, she came up with a plot to get Naboth murdered. And because she was queen, her plan worked perfectly.
“When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard” (1 Kings 21:16).
Rampant greed led to the murder of an innocent man and the confiscation of his property. But God had seen it all. Elijah the prophet met Ahab when he went to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard, and he pronounced God’s punishment upon Ahab for what he and Jezebel had done. His grim prophecy predicted that dogs would lick up the couple’s blood and that God would wipe out their descendants from the face of the earth—the worst imaginable curse for an Israelite. God already had a great deal against Ahab and Jezebel, but their greed-inspired brutality against Naboth was the last straw.
Thus we all have to
Be content – as greed is a snare. Greed is the foundation for destruction. If I must have a future on earth and an eternity with God, I must embrace CONTENTMENT.
There is no destiny for the greedy and there is no future for the covetous.
Prayer
O LORD, I thank You for Your Word to me today. Uproot every root of greed and covetousness from my life and baptize me LORD with the spirit of contentment,
Lord God, I pray that you Grant me the grace to bask in my contentment. Give me the grace to set my focus on the things that you have done with the hope and assurance that you will still do the things I have always looked unto you for, in the name of Jesus.
Sol.Fiona