Greed and generosity are opposing spiritual forces. Selfishness and greed have the effect of shriveling our souls by wasting our potential for love. Generosity becomes the source of God’s richest blessing and joy.
There’s a story of the days in the “Wild West about an armed bank robber involving a large amount of money. The bank hired a bounty hunter to track down the thief, the search for him led into Mexico the bounty hunter could not speak Spanish and needed to hire a interpreter. The bounty hunter promised the interpreter a handsome reward if they recovered the money.
The robber was eventually apprehended at gunpoint. The bounty hunter asked through the interpreter, where the money was. The thief replied. That he had mo idea what he was talking about. But the bounty hunter had solid proof he had caught the right man. The bounty hunter to,d the interpreter to tell the robber if he didn’t tell him where the money was it would “blow his head off.
Believing him the robber told the interpreter exactly where it was hidden. “What did he say? the bounty hunter asked. After a moment of hesitation, the interpreter answered, señor, he say’s he’s ready to die like a man.
The isa fictitious story of course, but the sin of greed is every bit as deadly. Banks, corporations, the wealthy and those in power often choose selfish gain over the good of others, income inequality has skyrocketed in the past seven decades, with an unsustainable level of social injustice. The simple answer of how this could happen it greed, which is the cause of untold suffering and oppression in the entire world.
Greed is defined as “the selfish desire for more of something than is needed, to the detriment of others.” When people selfishly acquire amass amount of money, luxuries than what they need, it always come at the expense of others.
In Luke 12:13-21, it tells of a man in the crowd, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you? He said to them, “Beware, keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of things which he possesses.”
Jesus saw an opportunity to teach, so He told a parable of a rich man who chose to hoard his good crop so he could live in selfish comfort, rather than caring about helping his neighbors. But that very night his life was required of him to God (The man’s death). And by his greediness it was suddenly exposed for the sin in was. By failing to share his blessings, he had missed the spiritual value of generosity.
I love the idea that in the next life we will see all the same good our giving has done, the fruits of generosity whether person to person or charitable giving and blessing it has been done to others.
Greed and generosity is opposed to each other.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and live the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24
In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us not to hoard our treasures here on earth, but to invest it in heaven, “For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Matthew 6:29-21. It’s important to realize that all earthy treasure is temporary, but whatever we share with others for the sake of love will remain. It will be a blessing not only to others, but also to ourselves.
We need ti recognize the sin of greed for the evil it is, and instead choose to live the rich blessing of generosity.
“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” Matthew 10:39.
If you look closely at the world today, you will be able to see greed all around.
From Pity to Praise 