Greed
Proverbs 28:25, Luke 12:15, Philippians 4:12, 2 Corinthians 9:6
Several men were in the locker room of a health club after exercising. Suddenly a cell phone on one of the benches rings. A man picks it up and the following conversation ensues: Hello?" "Honey, It's me." "Hi!" "Are you at the club?" "Yes." "Great! I'm at the mall 2 blocks from where you are. I saw a beautiful mink coat. It is absolutely gorgeous!! Can I buy it?" "What's the price?" "Only $10,000 on sale." "Well, okay, go ahead and get it, if you like it that much." "Uh, and I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the 2011 models. I saw one I really liked. I spoke with the salesman and he gave me a really good price ... and we can trade in the BMW that we bought last year..." "How much?" "Only $60,000!" "Okay, but for that price I want it with all the options." "Great! Before we hang up, something else..." "What?" "Well, I stopped by to see the real estate agent this morning and I saw the house we had looked at last year. It's for sale!! Remember? The one with a pool, English garden, acre of land, on the water..." "How much are they asking?" "Only $750,000, down from $900,000... that’s a steal! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" "Well, then go ahead and buy it, but just bid $720,000. Okay?" "Okay, sweetie. Thanks! I'll see you later!! I love you!!!" "Bye. I do too." The man hung up the phone and raised his hand while holding the phone, asking to all those present, "Does anyone know who this phone belongs to?"
Money Magazine declared money and possessions were the number one obsession of Americans. It seems that we never have enough and always are wanting more. Russell Brownworth writes, “It’s not hard to figure out….why Americans do not go to church any more: they have switched religions; they now attend the Temple of Greed!” We didn’t invent greed. Greed has been around as long as there have been people, and stuff to lust after. In every era of human history, there have been people who exhibited: from kings and conquerors to criminals, mobsters and Wall Streeters. We’ve seen examples of greed today even in our own politicians and judges. But greed is more than a cultural problem. It’s spiritual. Father Andrew Trammel writes, “The most serious spiritual problem in the country today is reckless and unchecked greed.”
Greed is the reason we’re in this recession. But the cause is not just Wall Street. It also extends to Mainstreet. While Wall Street and the banks extended credit when they shouldn’t have in an effort to make more money and receive outlandish bonuses, many average Americans overextended themselves financially in an effort to live the good life by buying a larger and nicer home than they could afford. All of us have felt the affects of this greed. Some of us have lost our jobs, some of us have lost our homes, but all of us have been challenged in our financial security for the future.
So what is greed? Greed is the selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed. Greed is human desire gone awry. It’s consumption out of control. Greed is the reason consumer debt has doubled in the last 10 years and why most Americans go into debt at a rate of $400 per paycheck. It is why credit card debt in the US stands at $1.6 trillion. Greed is well described by a gravesite in England. One stone read, “She died for the want of things.” Next to her was a headstone reading, “He died trying to give to her!” Greed is an insatiable craving for more money and things. It’s the condition where enough is never enough. Greed can be summed up in a word: MORE! We want more. John D. Rockefeller put it well when he was asked how much money was enough, he replied, “Just a little bit more.”
And yet this issue of trying to make as much money as possible for ourselves is idolized and even romanticized. Gordon Gekko, the lead character starring Michael Douglas of the first Wall Street movie, proclaimed, “Greed is good. Greed works. Greed sells!" And yet, we have seen countless examples where greed has not only failed but has irreparably damaged others in the fall of Worldcom, Enron and Bernie Madoff. Most of us though never really think about greed until the economy turns south, and a small group of people are accumulating great sums at the expense of many who are suffering. It’s only then we get angry. Greed is sometimes hard to notice in yourself, but it’s awfully easy to notice in others. We’re quick to point our fingers at others and their lives of extravagance.
• They spend 100’s of 1000’s of dollars a year on clothes
• They own homes from 12-50,000 sq feet which can cost up to 3 million to operate and care for
• They throw parties which can cost 100’s of 1000’s of dollars
• They have their own personal jet airplane, helicopters and yacht
• They hire nannies to raise the children, while they accumulate homes in Palm Beach, Nantucket, Sun Valley and the Pocono Mountains.
• They employ maids, security guards, spa staff, kitchen staff and nannies, as well as managers.
• They buy $320,000 cars like the Rolls-Royce Phantom on an impulse
• They buy watches which can cost from $5000 to $600,000
• They vacation in exotic locales around the world, spending $25,000 a week or more for lodging
• They belong to social clubs that charge up to half a million for a membership
But greed is not always that severe or even limited to the uber rich. Most of us have some greed in us - a desire to have something, a desire to have more. Ever see what someone has and say - "I wish I had that?" Ever been unhappy with what you have? Ever hold on to what you have and are afraid to give it up? Ever rent a storage unit because what you own won’t fit in where you live? Do you not spend for fear that one day you may exhaust your savings? Do you look at how much money you have or do you ask how you can use what you have to glorify God? Do you see yourself as the owner of what you have, or is God the owner? The reality is that the desire for more in our culture has impacted all of us.
Max Lucado writes in his book, “Traveling Right.” “Come to me to the most populated prison in the world. It has more inmates than bunks. It has more prisoners than plates. It has more residents than resources. The bunks are hard. The walls are bare and the food is cold and there is never enough. People try to get out of this prison but they get stuck. What is the name of this prison? This is the prison of want….. In this prison, the people want more. The people get stuck forever. There is no way out and their single need is more. What do you want when you’re in this prison of want? Usually you don’t want much right. You just want one more. You want that which is bigger, faster, slicker or more technologically advanced. You want just one more and you work and work until you get it. But then the new car smell fades. And the new fashion becomes old fashion. And the sizzle tends to fizzle and the fun tends to fade. And the dazzle tends to dim. And you find yourself stuck in this prison of want because all you want all the time is just one more.” Greed is a universal problem. It’s not just the problem of Wall Street, it’s also a problem of main Street. And it’s our problem too.
The impact of greed. First, it gives us a false sense of security. In our present day situation, we look to money to give us a certain level of independence, dignity and freedom. We truly believe that riches and possession will give us happiness. As Lovie Howell of Gilligan’s Island fame said, “Anyone who says money can’t buy happiness doesn’t know where to shop.” But just ask any lottery winner who in the end found that their winnings brought more trouble than happiness and most were happier when it was all gone. Second, we put our hope in something that doesn’t last. Matthew 6:19-20 says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal". The very first person discovered in Pompey was found clutching coins - which did him little good. You know the old saying, “You can’t take it with you and you’ve never seen a U-Haul following a hearse.” Third, it is a rejection of what God has given us. It’s saying, “God what you have given me is not enough.” Think of all the blessings God has given you but then you only hope to have more because in your mind, what you have is never enough. Fourth, it becomes your idol. Having more becomes more important than God Himself. That is why it’s hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Greed leads us to worship our possessions and not God. Luke 16:13 says, "No servant 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 save both God and Money.” Greed makes us more concerned with our stuff than with God who provides our stuff and our relationships with things we have become more important than our relationship with the giver of all things. Fifth, greed impacts others. We’ve seen this in our economic downturn. Bernie Madoff caused 8000 clients or businesses to lose 50 billion dollars. There were investment firms, companies, and charities who invested with Madoff who represent hundreds if not thousands more. But there were also many elderly who lost their savings as well. Greed always impacts others.
So how do you avoid the Deadly Sin of greed? First, recognize that it all belongs to God. God is the giver of all things and he has given us dominion as it says in Genesis 2. That word dominion literally means we have been loaned so that we can be caretakers. Second, realize that we are blessed to be a blessing. God gives to us to provide for our needs but he also makes sure our needs are met so that we can meet the needs of others who do not have. Third, avoid the temptation. What ever it is that it your trigger to wanting more, avoid it like the plague. Evangelist Billy Sunday, was dogged by rumors and scandal at some points in his life. As he lay on his deathbed, young Billy Graham sat beside him, comforting and praying with him. At some point, Mr. Sunday looked at Graham and exhorted him, "Billy, never go near the money! Never go near the money! Don’t touch it, don’t count it. Never go near the money!"
Fourth, covet contentment. In other words, seek the peace of Jesus Christ in our hearts, minds and souls. That’s the contentment Paul talks about in Philippians 4:12, “I have learned to be satisfied with things that I have. I know how to live when I am poor and I know how to live when I have plenty.” Are you content with what you have in your life? If not, what really keeps you from contentment? Greed will forever lead us away from contentment.
Fifth, practice generosity. Generosity is freely giving to others.” The blessing of giving is that it takes our focus off of ourselves while curing our greed for more. 2 Cor. 9:6 says, “Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly. Whoever sows generously will reap generously.” Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” How are you doing in your life with generosity? Do you give to others? If so, do you give out of your abundance or do you give sacrificially? USA Today found that those who have less give more proportionally speaking and those who have more give less. Those who make less than 50K give more proportionally than all other Americans. Those who earn 50-100K a year give 5.9%. Those who earn 100-150K give 4.1% of their income. Those who earn 500K-1 million give 1.3%.
I think that’s why at the urging of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, 40 of the world's richest families have promised through the "Giving Pledge," to give at least half of their fortunes to philanthropy, a collective sum of at least $125 billion to charitable causes either during donors' lifetimes or after their passing. The hope is that their example will inspire Americans to become even more generous over time but so also they can give strategically to have a greater impact with the resources they have. That’s generosity among the rich but what does generosity look like for you and me? In 2005, Thomas Cannon died. He was 79. When he was 3 years old his father died, his mother remarried and raised their family in a three-room shack without running water or electricity. As an adult, Thomas went to work for the postal service. He never made more than $25,000 a year. Upon retirement, he and his wife lived in poverty. Yet, over the course of his life, he gave away more than $156,000. His gifts were mainly $1,000 checks to people he read about in the newspaper who were going through hard times. His biographer commented, "Not many people would consider living in a house in a poor neighborhood without central heat, air conditioning, or a telephone, and working overtime so they could save money to give away." That’s generosity and it’s a great way to avoid the Deadly Sin of Greed.
When he got offered a job at the technology company EarthLink, Tom Hsieh hesitated. Could he start early and leave at 3 p.m.?, he asked his would•be- bosses. They looked at him with bemusement. This was the mid-1990s, when working in high-tech often meant ordering in pizza and sleeping at the office. But Mr. Hsieh, who’d become committed to Christian ideals of serving the poor, explained that he needed to be home early so he could tutor neighborhood kids in this Southern California town where he still lives. He got the job—and a promotion a few months later, yet he does feel a tension between the business world he channels through his BlackBerry and his personal and spiritual life. He and his wife, Bree, 34, and their 3 year old daughter live at the median household income level (now about $50,000) and give the rest of their money away, living modestly in a two-bedroom duplex that they rent for $1,000 with a $6 print hanging above the kitchen table. This allows them to live among people they seek to help which enables them to fight poverty more effectively. “If you live in a different community, these things don’t matter to you in the same way,” says Ms. Hsieh. Even though they could afford it, they refuse to buy a Mercedes or BMW to show off their earnings, instead seeking to live a life of generosity.
