“Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.””
Luke 12:15 NLT
God does not want you to be poor or suffer. He created all things for your enjoyment. Although these wonderful things are for you to enjoy, they are not for you alone. Others should benefit from them too. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
When a lot of Christians think of evil things or things to flee from, they think about stealing, killing, fornication and all other vices but they fail to recognize that greediness/covetousness is grouped in the same category (1 Corinthians 6:10, Colossians 3:5).
Greed is wanting anything good for yourself at the expense and to the detriment of others. It has the ability to bring out other vices, that’s why the love of money is the root of evil: it can cause even a believer to forget all his principles and boundaries.
Let’s look at a few ways greed can put the believer in danger.
Greed can make one lack discernment. Greed will make you do things that you would never have done with your better judgement. If you desire to be rich at all cost, you will fall into so many traps (1 Timothy 6:9).
Another thing that greed will do to you is to make you stray from devotion. Greed can extinguish vibrancy and fire. So many people will chase after money at the expense of their fellowship with God (1 Timothy 6:10, Proverbs 13:11).
A greedy person will also never have a balanced life and will never be satisfied. They will keep going after wealth at the expense of everything in their lives, sometimes including their health, family, relationships and so many other important things (Proverbs 1:19).
Finally, a greedy person will fall out of favour with God and with man. If you help and raise people on your way up even when you are not exactly where you want to be, it will count for you in the end. You will always have help from others when you need it. (Proverbs 11:25)
Listen, as believers we have to watch and be careful about our attitude to money. We have to repent and correct ourselves when we notice that money is beginning to control our desires. We should be deliberate about practising generosity and putting money in its place.
Bible Reading Plan:
Luke 5:12-16, Philippians 1:21-30, Psalms 119:121-128, 2 Kings 6-7