Day 2: Watch Out for Greed!

The human heart has long been prone to believe the myth of more — the lie that if we just had a bit more, then we would be happy. But it often makes us less happy — more anxious, distracted, discontent, lonely.

It comes as no surprise that the majority of Jesus’ teachings on money are warnings about the danger of it. Like in Luke 12v15: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed because life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

Is there a practice from the Way of Jesus to set our hearts free from greed and form us into people who are deeply happy and at peace with what we have? Yes, it’s the practice of generosity.

In Luke 11v39, Jesus says to the Pharisees: “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” But then he says this: “But now as for what is inside you, be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.”

Meaning: If there’s a silver bullet for greed, it’s generosity. The more we give, the happier and more at peace we become.

The word used by the biblical authors for this inner satisfaction is “contentment.” Let me show you one of the hallmark passages in the NT on contentment.

1 Timothy 6v6-9: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”

This line is often misquoted, but the NIV’s translation is excellent. Money itself is not evil; it can do great evil, or great good! But neither is money neutral.

Hence, the next line: 10b: “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

This is dramatic language. Not only does money not make people happy, but it often is the root of all kinds of evil.

So, what is Paul’s solution to the problem? Contentment. To be content is to realize you have enough; even more, it’s to be happy with what you have.

My problem is: I think I’ll be content when I get a raise, or buy a home, or get through this season, but that’s not how contentment works. We can be happy here and now. Through the practice of generosity.

We start by giving our resources away. Giving is God’s antidote to greed. The more we give away, the less control money has over our hearts.

But the other side of generosity is to simplify our life, to edit it down to the essentials of what really matters.

This disciplined pursuit of less has come to be called “simplicity” or “simple living,” or, in more secular language, “minimalism.”

I would define it as: limiting the number of our possessions, expenses, activities, and social obligations to a level where we are free to live joyfully and generously in the kingdom with Jesus. It’s flipping the question from: “What else can I get?” to, “What can I do without?”

To live a generous life, you need margin in your finances — you need a budget with room in it to share. You need margin in your schedule – with room for interruptions, for people in need, and for rest and delight.

And this sounds nice, but it means we have to regularly discipline ourselves to not buy things we cannot afford.

For some families, this means working out at home, not a gym. It means rarely eating out or going to movies as a family. It means driving older cars with no payment.

But Jesus’ warnings about greed are not just for the rich!

And his call to be content is for all of us.

One of the most beautiful verses on contentment in the New Testament is Hebrews 13v5: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.”

Keep your heart free!

True financial freedom isn’t millions of dollars in the bank; it’s what Richard Foster called “a joyful life of carefree unconcern for possessions.”

But notice what Hebrews says next: “Because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”

Whether it’s happiness or security, we think, “If we can just get a little more, then we’ll be content.” But what we are searching for in money can only be found in God.

Right here and right now, you have everything you need to live a happy life in God.