How to Guard against
Greed (3)
During
the past 2 weeks, this writer had discoursed on the reasons Christians should
guard against and be rid of all greed. The consequences of avarice being so
horrendous, how can we guard against it? In his epistles to Timothy, Paul gave
us some practicable suggestions:
1.
Pursue godliness in life (1 imothy
6:6). A Christian cannot live life idly and slovenly, for Satan is like a
roaring lion that prowls around looking for someone to devour. If we are
insufficiently vigilant in our daily existence, we will be consumed by it.
Godliness is the proper attitude for saintly living. It requires constant
pursuit and training in one’s spiritual life (1Timothy 4:7). If we hold fast to
the precious promise of God, consistently and earnestly train ourselves in the
lessons of faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness,
brotherly kindness, and love, then we will not falter but be able to enter
bountifully into the eternal
2.
Have a contented heart. “Godliness with contentment is great
gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6) The opposite of greed is a contented heart. Paul
admonishes us, “If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (1
Timothy 6:8) The word contentment in the original context means sufficiency.
The Lord Jesus Christ said to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you.”(2
Corinthians 12:9) If a Christian accepts what he has received with
satisfaction, and learns to always count the Lord’s blessings and give thanks
to God, he will discover that God’s grace is indeed sufficient. Contentment is
believing firmly that God is faithful, and that His grace is sufficient for us.
The author of the Book of Hebrews also encourages us, “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.’" (Hebrews 13:5)
3.
Put
our hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment;
unlike people of the world, who put their hope in the false security that
wealth brings. We have all heard it said, “Money can buy a comfortable bed, but
not a restful sleep; entertainment, but not joy; medication, but not health; a
large house, but not peace; sex, but not true love; an academic degree, but not
wisdom.” Rest, joy, health, peace, true love, wisdom etc. all come from God.
God is our immutable, loving Father. He cannot be compared to fickle wealth.
The children of God should learn to put their hope in the Heavenly Father, and
not on wealth.
4.
Strive to do good deeds and show generosity to
others. “Command
them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to
share.” (1 Timothy 6:11) Since we are citizens of the Heavenly realm and merely
sojourners on earth, we should not place our satisfaction in the acquisition of
more material things. On the contrary, we should be unstintingly generous to
those in need, just as Jesus Christ, because of His love for
man, willingly gave up all that He had for him, even His own life. A bountiful
life is measured by how much one is willing to offer of himself for the Lord.
Jesus answered the rich young man who sought eternal life by saying, "You
still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor…” (Luke 18:22)
Striving to good deeds, cheerfully offering philanthropy, being generous, and
giving to the poor are the keys for Christians to guard against greed. Not only will there be treasures stored in Heaven, but God will be
well pleased. (Luke 18:22, 2 Corinthians 9:7-9) Giving is a greater blessing
than receiving – that is a true saying.
By
relying on the Lord, we must rid ourselves of all greed, live a life of
godliness, have a contented heart,
learn to put our hope in God, and cheerfully do good deeds and show
generosity. Then we will be able to enter bountifully into the eternal Kingdom
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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