I want more, More, MORE! Greed can be subtle or it can be obvious. Some people are always on the prowl looking for the next surefire money-making scheme. How can I get ahead? How can I accumulate more? How can I be on top? And some people’s greed is not as much for money as it is for power, attention, or even food (i.e., gluttony).
Discontentment
Greed is rooted in discontentment. Philippians 4:11-13 reminds us that we should find our contentment in Christ.
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (ESV)
Greed is basically the opposite of contentment. Greed is a powerful force which drives us to get more. When we are overcome by greed, other people do not matter as much to us. Laws do not matter as much to us. Pleasing God certainly does not matter as much to us, if at all.
Greed drives people to steal from their companies. Greed drives people to sell items on the black market. Greed drives people to use others for their own personal gain. Greed is not concerned with making friends and influencing people, unless they are the useful.
Greed and Love
When I was a kid, I remember my grandma telling me that people who were addicted to gambling were incapable of loving others. I think she read that somewhere and she may have experienced it as well. The pursuit of more money, especially “easy money,” does not leave room in the heart for people. People take up time – and time is money!
Greedy people, at least the ones who are specifically seeking wealth, love money; and, Matthew 6:24 makes it clear that we cannot serve both God and money.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (ESV)
God is love (1 John 4:8), so it would stand to reason that you cannot love (serve) God and love money, because what we love is what we pursue. If we love money, we will be obsessed with accumulating more of it. If we are obsessed with gaining Earthly treasures, we won’t be storing up treasures in Heaven (ref. Matthew 6:19-21).
If we love money, we don’t have the love of God flowing through us. Thus, we cannot truly love others.
{Eric’s note: I feel like it is important to distinguish a business’s earning of profit and greed. Earning profit is good and necessary in order for a business to keep serving those people for whom the good or service is being consumed. Profit allows people to specialize in various fields in order so that everyone does not have to make everything and do every service for themselves. Greed in business, on the other hand, contains the mindset of obtaining money by any means – including making an inferior product or service or marketing it with claims which it cannot sustain in order to raise the profit margin. In the former example, the business is a blessing to its clients; in the latter, it is not such a blessing.}
Discontentment Revisited
Greed is a product of discontentment and discontentment spills over into relationships. Greedy people by definition are not satisfied with what they have and that is going to be true in regards to their love lives as well. A general lack of satisfaction in life will drive a greedy person to be unsatisfied with his or her sweetheart or spouse.
Grow out your hair. Buy better clothes. Lose weight. Take better care of yourself. You are a reflection of me. Clothes make the man. Work out more. Treat me better. Be more available to me. Be less emotional. Be more emotional. Change until I’m satisfied with you (but I’ll never be satisfied with you… because I’m not satisfied with anything).
Have you ever tried to relationally connect with someone who was not happy with you? With someone who always wanted to change you? I have had relationships in the past (romantic and platonic) where I felt like I was on the operating table. They were going to fix me, make me better, and help me improve. They made it clear that they were not satisfied with me as I was – that I needed some tweaking.
Let me tell you… it is hard to share your heart with people who are always finding fault with your personality, choices, and dreams. You may attempt to connect with them; but, after a while, you are going to keep your heart as far from their reach as you can. We all want to be loved at our most vulnerable points. We want people to accept us, even though we have imperfections.
If they only accept me once I’ve become who they want me to be, they are not loving the real me.
A good friend won’t keep silent if we are going down a dangerous path; but, he or she will also love and accept us before, during, and after our transformations – not just after.
Idols
Greed is evidence of an idol in a person’s heart. An idol is anything we regard more highly than God. Television can be an idol. Over-eating can be an idol. Sex can be an idol. And the quest for more treasures can most certainly be an idol.
When idols are present in our lives, it is a clear indication that we are not in a right relationship with our Lord and Savior. If Eric placed a higher importance on his co-workers than he did on me, our relationship would not be “right.” If he placed a greater priority on his friends than he did on me, our relationship would not be “right.”
Since God has said that He must be first in the lives of His children, placing anything above Him is sin. Not only that, but when we erect idols in our lives, our relationships suffer too. If we seek to glorify God first, and our lives show that He is indeed number one in our hearts, we will naturally treat our sweeties and spouses better. His love flows in us and through us, making it possible for us to love sacrificially. So, if there is an idol of greed in your or your sweetie’s heart, it is going to harm, and eventually kill, your connection unless the idol is removed.
Does greed have power over you? If so, go to the Father and repent. Ask Him to free you and to remove the idols from your life. Actively seek Him first in your life and watch Him transform you. ~smile~
Has greed ever killed your connection with a friend or loved one?