How Do I Avoid Greed? Series

Proverbs

How Do I … Avoid Greed

June 13, 2021

Proverbs 1:10-19 NIV

My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.11 If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; 12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit,13 we will get all sorts of valuable thing and fill our houses with plunder 14 cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”—15 my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths 16 for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood 17 How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it! 18 These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! 19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.

Greed is self-focused - I need more, I deserve more, I want more.

Greed happens when we stop worshipping the creator of things and start worshipping things created.

How do we know if we’re greedy?

1Timothy 6:6-10 NIV

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Greedy people all wrestle with three wrong attitudes.

1. I don’t have enough.

v. 6 – “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

v. 8 – “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”

Godly people, who are content, always feel like they are blessed.

Godly people, who are not content, never feel like they have enough.

This does not mean you stop trying to earn more.

It means you stop spending on yourself and start earning money that will be spent on others.

Ambition and greed are not the same. Ambition is a desire to achieve a particular end and it can be noble or evil.

2. What I do have is mine.

v. 7 – “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”

Greed is the desire to get more without any intentions of giving it away.

Anything we’re not willing to give away has become an idol.

God may never ask you to give it all away. He just wants to know if you would. Example: The rich young ruler

Giving is the only proof that we’ve overcome greed.

3. I’ll do whatever it takes to get more.

v. 9-10 – “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Can anything be justified if it results in more money?

Greed starts with small compromises, and it leads to great regrets. We find ourselves trapped in a corner because we have too much debt. Our appetite for more stuff is out of control and we cannot stop the crazy cycle.