Guard Against Greed // Luke 12:15
Yesterday we looked at a verse from Mark 16:33 where Jesus told the disciples to be on guard because the end is coming and we don’t know when it will arrive. Today’s verse, on this last day of January, gives us something specific for which we must truly guard ourselves against: greed. Greed causes us to fear we will never have enough, so we cease being generous.
Dr. Neel Burton wrote this about greed, “Greed is the disordered desire for more than is decent or deserved, not for the greater good but for one’s own selfish interest, and at the detriment of others and society at large. Greed can be for anything, but is most commonly for food, money, possessions, power, fame, status, attention admiration, and sex.” Dr. Burton then went on to describe five common characteristics of greed:
- “Early negative experiences
- “Misconceptions about the nature of self, life or others
- “A constant fear and sense of insecurity
- “A maladaptive strategy to protect the self
- “A persona to hide all of the above in adulthood”
Jesus does not want you to define your life on the things you can get, but that which you give. He does not want your life to be disordered, but ordered by faith, hope, and love. So, where are you prone to greed? Look to God as the One who wants to help you order your life around service, sacrifice, and generosity. It will change your life so God can use your life to help change the world.
