The Idolatry of Greed

Of all the awful sins the New Testament-inspired writers warn the Christian from indulging in, only the sin of greed is equated with idolatry. "But among you there must not be even a hint of . . . greed . . ." (Eph. 5:3). "No . . . greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" (Eph. 5:5). "Put to death . . . greed. which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5). The sin of greed is listed in these passages with the sins of sexual immorality. impurity, obscenity, lust and evil desires. Quite the company!

Joseph Thayer defines the Greek word translated as greed in the NIV as "a greedy desire to have more." The Thorndike-Barnhart Dictionary defines greed as "the quality of wanting more than one's share: extreme or excessive lust." Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of Colossians 3:5 renders greed as "grabbing whatever attracts your fancy."

Let's be honest. If we are making a sincere, earnest attempt to live a biblically principled life in this present world, don't we face the ongoing challenge as disciples of Jesus Christ to know when to say "enough is enough"? Do we live any differently from the non-Christian when it comes to purchases, acquisitions and investments? Are we so controlled by things that we are preoccupied with getting, buying and wanting more? Is Christ truly Lord of our desires, or are we simply rendering Him lip service?

To a man who came to Him while embroiled in an estate settlement, Jesus warned: "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Lk. 12:15). Jesus is saying that life is more than houses, furnishings, acreage, vehicles, clothing--things.

Real life consists of Christ at the center and things at the circumference. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world . . . the lust of the eyes [greed) . . . comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God [rejects greed] lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

No,. let's ask ourselves the question. "How can I protect myself against worshiping this idol of greed?"

DON'T ALLOW YOUR REACH TO EXCEED YOUR GRASP. A sure symptom of greed is the inability to live within one's means. Whether we have little or much, God has called us to be free from the tyranny of things. This is impossible if we are living a lifestyle beyond our ability.

HONOR GOD BY RENDERING TO HIM THE TITHE AND OFFERINGS. Before you pay the rent, mortgage, utilities or car paymen,. give honor to God by paying the tithe and giving your offerings. The promise of God remains true to those who obey Him in this matter: "see if I will not throw open the windows of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" (Mal. 3: 10). God has promised to stand by those who stand by Him--in giving.

REFUSE TO ALLOW THE ADVERTISING MEDIA TO CREATE DISCONTENTMENT. We live in a consumer-driven society and every consumer oriented corporation in America is out to get our attention and money. At every turn are advertisements to lure us. They keep telling us it's bigger, better, nicer, friendlier and prettier. And more often than not, they're doing their best to sell us something we don't need. An appropriate imperative for these times: "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Heb. 13:5).

LIVE LIFE WITH THE RIGHT MIND-SET. In the same Colossians’ context where he warns that greed is synonymous with idolatr,. the apostle prescribes a preventative against greed's enticements: "set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Col. 3: 1-2). With the right heart-mind-set, God will enable us to control our desires.

Could it be that while we have been congratulating ourselves through the years for not bowing down to idols like the third world heathen, we have imperceptively but surely been found by God to be worshiping at the shrine of greed? The idols of Africa may have captured its mlllions, but the idol of greed in America has captured its tens of millions. In the words of the apostle John: "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21).

Prayer: 0 God, Creator of every good and perfect gift, grant me a mind that is free from the of love things and a heart that is set on the Man at your right hand. May I be ever grateful for what You provide, never wanting more than what is for my good. May You remain my sole object of worship. Amen.