Beware of Greed

In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus was asked to settle a dispute on money, specifically between brothers over an inheritance. One could take from the text, that one brother got all the inheritance while the other was left out of the will and a family feud then descended into a public spectacle. Sound familiar? Can you identify with the one brother that felt left out? On the surface, our sense of justice wants to empathize with his request to simply get a "fair share". It seems his request to "divide" is a reasonable one. However, we don't know the actual motives of whether this brother was angling for more than was just. Nevertheless, Jesus was quick to reject taking sides on this matter and then provided a solemn warning:

"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for a man's life does
not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

The exclamatory statement "watch out" preceding this warning is meant to alarm us to the subtle seduction of greed in all its various forms. We shouldn't suppose that the warning of greed is just for the wealthy or the "other guy" running in his excess. We should examine ourselves and ask "what kind of greed am I susceptible to?"

It's interesting to note that the Lord used the example of a "fair share" inheritance to teach us about greed. He could have used another extreme case to make his point such as an avaricious self-seeking business man bent on running everyone over to get want he wanted, or he could have used the tax collector who illegally pocketed money from the taxpayers. Perhaps in today's society, we would point to the Enron executives who plotted and schemed to make money for themselves at the expense of others as the prime example of greed. Yet, Jesus takes an elemental example for addressing greed in a much more relevant situation to the average guy--a simple everyday dispute over money.

What "kind of greed" is it that possibly plagues us? Are we feeling bitter about our employer paying us less than our perceived value? Did we get treated unfairly by a family member, a friend, a customer or vendor or one who owes us money? Are we so attached to money that we're willing to sacrifice relationships or even forsake our commitments to pay our bills or not take pity on our poor neighbor or even skip out on giving our offerings to God? In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul said we should rather be wronged or cheated than to take action in our disputes. He then goes on to say that the greedy (along with the thieves and other various sexual reprobates) shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Make no mistake - the Lord detests greed as much as any sin. In Matthew 23, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their greed and self-indulgence while maintaining an appearance of religious conformance. He knew their hearts and he knows ours too.

Yes, there will be times where money disputes are necessary, but let's be watchful for any subtle "kind of greed" gaining a foothold in us. We should guard our hearts against the certain gravitational pull of greed's deception (especially in the area of money disputes) and hold on to our possessions very lightly. This attitude of yielding and compromise in the area of money disputes of course is most difficult to embrace, yet demonstrates how much one really trusts in God's arm of justice. For God's measure of our true abundance is not what we hold on to or achieve in material terms, but rather by what we do unselfishly for Him and for others.

The Pseudo-Wisdom

In the previous post, we discussed that any so called "wisdom" characterized by "envy and selfish ambition" is not from God but is worldly. What is envy? What is selfish ambition?

Envy is really just another way of saying covetousness. The tenth of the Ten Commandments received by Moses was "You shall not covet". When one violates one of the other Ten Commandments it becomes rather obvious as the acts are externally identifiable (not observing the Sabbath, idolatry, murder, theft, adultery, lying, etc.); however, this tenth commandment prohibiting covetousness (envy) is most difficult to readily identify in others and sometimes even in ourselves as it is a deep-rooted, internal matter of the heart.

At the root, envy stems from an ungrateful heart. Thankful people are rarely envious of anyone. Counting our blessings, no matter how small, throughout the day helps us to see just how much we really have and crowds out the time we spend musing over what may be absent from our lives. Regularly giving thanks is a way we keep our attitudes and perspective in check. However, if we fail to render to God a simple "thank you" for what we have, our selfish human nature tends to gaze over at what others have or experience and we view their "grass as truly greener" on the other side. What we do not possess then becomes the dominant view. We know that envy has set in when that sense of discontentment pervades our thinking and our emotional satisfaction is inexorably linked to that object or area to which we are drawn.

Envy then leads to selfish ambition, which is synonymous with greed. Greed is the motive which blinds us to the needs and welfare of others and then employs whatever tactics is necessary (often at the expense of others) to attain its goal. Solomon said it well, "And I saw that all labor and achievement spring from a man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." --Eccles. 4:4.

So we can conclude that any so-called "wisdom"-- a plan, action, word or deed-- with these envious motives at the core, will according to James reap the consequences of disorder and every evil practice. Let us examine ourselves to see what "wisdom" it is that leads us and seek after God's true wisdom which is firstly pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

So You Think You Know It All?

You're never too old or too educated to learn something new. I've learned that reading and studying produces a lot of "knowledge" and yet after a while unless I applied what I learned, I have difficulty retaining what I've learned and making accurate use of my knowledge.

In this mega-information age we live in, I often struggle with information overload. With all the internet websites, blogs, books and videos, I sometimes just don't know how to sift through the morass of information at my disposal. Too much and I get "analysis paralysis" and the information is useless because it's not actively applied. Too little and I may act on impulse rather than on knowledge and make poor decisions and pay for it later. Don't you wish that sometimes when facing a decision or needing guidance you could just push a button and instantly assimilate just the right amount of information, cut through the fluff and the distractions and properly understand and know just what to do or how to decide?

Wisdom Is Better Than Gold

Fortunately for us there is an answer. There is a higher form of knowledge spoken of in God's word, namely "Wisdom". Proverbs 4:7 says that "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have get understanding." Wisdom is the insightful and proper application of knowledge in any given situation. Wisdom is the normalizer in this quest to assimilate and balance information intake. So how do we get this wisdom? The entire chapter of Proverbs 2 provides the steps for attaining wisdom and its invaluable benefits. Here's a summary for attaining wisdom:

1. Discover what God thinks by reading the Bible as much as you can. (Accept God's word and store up His commands within.) This is the one information source that we can never get too much of.
2. Seek. We must passionately seek after wisdom (no doubt through persistent prayer and supplication), as though a special hidden treasure to be found.
3. Relate. Properly Relating To the Wisdom Giver. (Through this discovery and search process we find that not only is God the source of wisdom, He personifies wisdom and will relate to us and communicate with us on a personal level. And when you know God, you naturally fear Him and love Him and begin to think like He thinks.)

Wisdom lifts us above the draining details of the day and sets us free on a stable path to living life. Through His wisdom, you will experience God's unwavering favor and protection. However, wisdom isn't just for the taking, it must be diligently sought after on a daily basis.

"Blessed is the man who listens to me [Wisdom], watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death." (Proverbs 8:34-36)

Two Opposing Viewpoints

According to James 3:13-17 there are two kinds of wisdom: Wisdom from the earth and wisdom from heaven. How can we distinguish between the two? The signposts of earthly wisdom are "envy and selfish ambition", which lead to disorder and every evil practice. By contrast the wisdom from above is characterized as pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Once the foundational truth of wisdom is laid, we can better assess how to compare and contrast God's ways versus man's ways in handling worldly wealth. In the next post, we will explore this issue of "envy and selfish ambition". We need to confront the basis of the counterfeit wisdom of our age so that we know how to "conform not" to the pattern of this world, especially in the area of money.