The Seven Deadly Sins – Part 2
Greed
Introduction
This is part two of my series on the Seven Deadly Sins. Last week I covered Pride and this week I will focus on second sin, Greed. When we think about greed, it takes on a different form depending on the conversation you are in. For example, growing up in a family with 4 brothers and sisters, it was easy to view my siblings as greedy. Let me give you an example that I am sure you are familiar with from your own family. It is Sunday afternoon and the dinner has been made. The rule for the most part was you had to finish what was on your plate before you could get more. Now with seven people at the table and a limited amount of food to be had, there were times when some of us would eat faster in order to get seconds. My oldest brother loves cornbread so in my mind whenever we had cornbread for dinner, he was greedy. My food was potatoes and sweets and I can confess that I was definitely greedy.
When you consider the definition of generosity, it means letting others get the credit, praise or in the case of dinner at my house, more of the food. It is giving without having expectations of the other person. Greed wants to get its “fair share” and a bit more. Let me tell you how I learned to like oatmeal raison cookies. My parents always taught us that if we had something, we had to share with our siblings. Sometimes I would take my allowance and buy the ready bake cookies, especially chocolate chip (one of my favorites as a child). When I made them, of course my brothers and sisters had to have some. One day I decided to try oatmeal raison cookies. I baked them and of course when my brothers and sisters found out what kind they were, they did not want any. Only my father and my mother would eat them – I had hit it big. When others thought I just had a taste for oatmeal raison cookies, the truth was I did not want to share my cookies so I brought some that my brothers and sisters would not like. I was motivated by greed although it did not come across as such. Yeah I know, I had some issues as a child, but you know what, God is very good because I still have some issues that He is working on.
All of us will face the sin of greed at some point in our lives, especially as it relates to money. The message this morning will focus on greed for money. Consider the following scriptures:
Exodus 20:17 “Do not want anything that belongs to someone else. Don’t want anyone’s house, wife or husband, slaves, oxen, donkey or anything else.” (CEV)
1 Timothy 6:10 “The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.” (CEV)
In these two scriptures, it becomes very clear that greed is not a part of God’s plan for His people. In the very beginning He warns us not to want something that belongs to someone else. That is greed in its simplest form. Paul warns Timothy not to fall into the trap of desiring money because the search for it has caused some to give up on their faith. If you read the previous verses, Paul ridicules the idea that God is in the business of passing out material gain in exchange for our spiritual cooperation, as some would have us think. The prosperity message that is flowing so richly is some churches would have us believe that the more spiritual you are, the more God will bless you with wealth. However, that is not the reason we seek to have a relationship with God. The question of greed is one that all of us must face, on our jobs, in our daily activity and most importantly, in our walk with God.
I. Greed and Power
It is not very satisfying to have a lot of money if you do not have the power that comes with it. We see it daily in the news with articles and sound bytes of things rich people are involved in. Some of the more prominent magazines focus on the people who have “made it” and the things they own verses the everyday person who is successful but maybe not rich. The attainment of earthly goods is a means to an end – the attainment of power. The money, real estate, cars, etc are simply things used to achieve, wield and display personal power. These things can be used to intimidate or bribe others, reinforce one’s own illusions about what is important or to build up a feeling of success. The real problem here is more the desire for power than the actual greed. Having material possessions gives us a sense of power that is often used against others. I read a study once that stated the suicide rate among those who are rich are higher than those who are poor, especially if they lose their riches. What is interesting is that it is not always the loss of the riches that causes some to commit suicide, the but the loss of the power that comes with the riches.
To destroy our desire for power, we must be generous in granting power to others. If you are in a leadership position, delegate to subordinates and give them the authority to make decisions. Praise their efforts and their results. When appropriate, be submissive to others. Avoid jobs that are a temptation for a “power grab”. Share credit for successes with others, and claim a fair share of responsibility for failures being blamed on others. The idea is to stop trying to control everything and everyone. As parents, we should encourage our children to find their own way when feasible and respecting their choices. It does not mean giving up our responsibility, but learning to loosen our grip on our lives as well as the lives of others. Remember that we cannot control everything and God will take care of us.
II. Greed and Fear
A common thread for sin in general is that it is often borne out of fear. A fear of helplessness or loss of control can turn into a lust for power as a way of preventing an undesirable situation. Fear of being without will make us greedy to have more and “hoard” it for ourselves. Consider what Jesus says in the following example found in Luke 12:15-21:
Luke 12: 15-21 “Then He said to them, Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions. And he told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ The he said, ‘This is what I will do; I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grains and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasures for himself and is not rich toward God.” (New American Standard)
Some would read this passage of Scripture and say that God does not want us to have money or savings’ account, but this is not the case. As you can see, the man was already rich before the year that his lands produced an abundance of produce. He had more than he could ever have eaten himself – so much so that he did not have room to store it all. What was truly in his heart came to light when he had this year of plenty. We have a vivid picture of the greed in his heart. Instead of him giving to those in need, he decided to keep it all for himself. Now in order to do this, he had to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to store the surplus. Remember how pride can alter our perception of reality? Greed also does the exact same thing. Think of this, although we do not know the cost, the man had to spend money to tear down and build bigger barns. So in effect what he does is spend money in order to have more for him. His attitude and greed displeased God. God was so angry that He told the man that he would die that very night and therefore would not get to enjoy what he was planning to store.
Fear is a poor motivator for virtue, but an excellent one for greed. Sometimes greed is simply a desire to have so much that we can’t possibly run out. Let me say this up front, I have a deep and devoted love for my father and mother for the sacrifices and hardship they endured to raise my siblings and me. After all of his hard work, my dad is enjoying his retirement and giving me something to look forward to. But I want to share something of my past with you. When I was young, my father worked 2 and sometimes 3 jobs to provide for us. When I was in elementary school, for a while I was one of the kids on the special lunch program (which was embarrassing for me, especially after my friends found out). This program allowed families with lower income to purchase lunch at a reduce price. Also one summer we participated in a summer lunch program where low-income families could come for a free hot lunch. I remember being so embarrassed that once I refused to eat – I chose to be hungry. (Remember last week’s message on pride – I was the poster child for pride). I did not understand until I was grown the impact that this had on me. It led me to walk in greed in some areas – especially as it relates to money. Today I do not like having bills, owing anyone anything and not being able to pay my own way. There was a time if I lent people money I would be on them to pay me back – as soon as possible, now I a little different in that area. My point to this is I can trace this attitude back to my days as a child and worrying about where my next meal would come from.
Today, in order to find a balance between my fear that led to greed, I am learning to trust God in all areas of my life. The stock market could crash, we could lose our jobs or health, and we could be sued. If we acquire enough stock, real estate or cash on hand and think we will be safe from want, it is an illusion. There is no perfect preventative for want. Trust in God frees us from a need to build a massive buffer against poverty. Trusting in God calms our fears because we begin to understand that regardless of what happens, God is in control and can bring us through. Remember one definition of fear is False Expectations Appearing Real.
III. Greed and Acquisition Enslavement
Remember what Luke 12:15 said? It said “Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
Spending your whole life seeking material things is slavery, plain and simple. We can reduce ourselves to a small and cold desire to accumulate more electronic gear, trading cards, antiques and other collectibles. It should be far beneath our dignity as human beings to enslave ourselves to objects of our own making (something made by the hands of humans). Yet we find that this is really the situation in which many people live. It is said that our possessions in some ways may come to own us. Consider what Solomon says in Proverbs:
Proverbs 28:22 “A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth and does not know that want will come upon him. (New American Standard)
Another translations say “The selfish man is eager to get rich; he never dreams he may be in distress. (Moffatt)
As you read what Solomon wrote it becomes clear that the person who is so focused on becoming rich, obtaining more and more “things” has lot their way and does not realize that they are in distress. The term “want will come upon him” has also been translated as “poverty”. One thing that we know for sure is that those who are rich in their own eyes are poor in God’s eyes, from a spiritual and eternal viewpoint. In America it is easy to become greedy and enslaved to getting more objects. A newer, bigger house, when the one we have is large enough. With the new house comes the new furniture to put in the house (the old furniture just won’t do). A newer bigger vehicle, when the one you have is just fine. And the list goes on and on and on and on. Every time we see someone with something better than ours, we feel the need to upgrade. We are not satisfied unless we have the best and the most compared to those we call our social friends. All of the material thing that we gather, store and treasure will go to someone else when we leave this world. It is an awakening thought to know that a 250-lbs. man when cremated will fill a small urn (vase). That is the extent of our life when compared to eternity. The works that we do here must withstand the fire and if they do, you will be blessed in God’s kingdom. If they do not, you will suffer loss. Consider the grave when you are seeking material things. When we die, we take nothing with us. If we are bound by “disordered attachments” to worldly goods, the separation forced upon us by death will be even more painful. If we are destined for eternal glory, the temporary enjoyment of trinkets in this life is simply absurd. Meditation on this begins to loosen the grip of objects on the heart. I will close with the following two Scripture for your consideration:
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroys, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
1 Corinthians 3:12-15 “Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss…..
Conclusion
I know that each of us have someone in mind when we think about greedy people. I used to think all preachers were greedy because they always got to eat first at Church and seemed to get more than anyone else. What was interesting for me in writing this, some of my habits I did not associate with be greedy, but just being me. It is always easier to see the flaws in others than when you hold the mirror up to our own face.
There are many areas in our lives where greed can creep in. The only way to truly deal with it on an ongoing basis is to put your trust in God. This does not mean you spend everything you earn or give it all away, wisdom is always the key. God’s desire is for us to trust in Him and not in our possessions/assets, to manage our finances with wisdom while not putting our faith in the finances. He does not want us motivated by or becoming slaves to objects that will remain behind when we leave this world. He desires for us to store our riches in heaven by the things we do here on earth and the attitudes we display towards one another. Then when we enter into His presence, He can give us the riches that will last all of eternity. Until next week, God Bless.
(One of the primary resources for this message was the “White Stone Journal” website. I used and expanded on several quotes from their articles. To them I give my thanks.)
