Moving through an uncomfortable section on a topic of greed in Andy Stanley’s book, Enemies of the Heart, we find that if it was difficult to realize that we have a bit of greed in our lives, this week the realization that giving will make life easier, isn’t that easy. To this point in our journey we have learned:
- Guilt is conquered by confession
- Anger is conquered by forgiveness
and this week we get the pleasure of understanding:
- Greed is conquered with generosity
The difficult reality in all of our lives is motivation and justification. If we don’t feel guilty, we don’t think we need to confess. If we don’t believe we have issues with anger, we don’t feel like we need to forgive. Greed is the same way. If we don’t feel we are greedy, we don’t have any motivation to give. Maybe we should flip the list…
Out of the three topics to this point, which do you lack the most? Confessing, forgiving or giving?
Entitlement
When we focus on what we don’t have, it leaves our hearts vulnerable to greed. As long as we are on a quest for more, then when more does come along, we assume it’s all for us. It is what we deserve. It is the culture we have become accustomed to. But it is a mindset. When we don’t have enough we wonder why. Isn’t it strange we don’t wonder why when we have more than enough?
Legacy and Inheritance
The American culture has set a standard or a mindset that it is the goal of our life to live good and gather stuff and if we are really good at living we should be setting our family up for success by leaving them a lot. Andy had a few examples we need to grab:
Leaving or giving your children a lot of money generally doesn’t set them up for success in life. Andy stated that in all his years of counseling, he had never heard anyone say, “My problems began when my parents didn’t leave me enough money.” But the world is full of people that ran into problems when they received money they did not earn.
The more one has, the more they worry about it. Peace is is a fruit of the Spirit, not the by-product of accumulated wealth. The more we have, the more we think about it and the more we worry about it.
Needs and Wants
Or is more, wants and needs. Most of us have what we need, most of our energy, emotions and time is vested in the things we want. We can get to a point in life where we believe that some of the luxuries in life are the necessities. If I have a computer and internet, then a laptop and wifi would be even better. I get frustrated when my laptop doen’t connect to the wifi and go in the office to the computer and it is frustrating because my luxuries are not meeting my desires. Then I start the thinking of maybe I need a new router, a new laptop, and in all of this, it gets farther and farther away from my needs.
We actually don’t have to have extra to be be greedy. As long as we plan to spend whatever comes our way on ourselves, we are candidates for greed. If we allow our lifestyle to keep step with or surpass our income, we will find it next to impossible to keep greed from taking root in our heart.
How is your heart and mindset when it comes to Needs and Wants? Do you feel like you live in abundance these days? Have you had seasons of being in need? How about seasons of abundance?
Change is Possible
We have to give to the point that it forces us to adjust our lifestyle. If we are not willing to give to a point that it impacts our lifestyle, we won’t change. If we only give in abundance, then our foundation remains and we believe it is our identity and our right, even when our foundation is in abundance of our needs.
If we are consuming to the point of having little or nothing left to give, we are greedy. If we ae consuming and saving to the point that there is little or nothing to give, we are greedy. Notice this did not have any thing to do with economic status or wealth. It has to do with the condition of our mind and heart.
Greed is evidenced not by how we feel but by what we do. Generous feelings and good intentions don’t compensate for a greedy heart. In fact, good intentions and greed can coexist in our heart indefinitely.
Giving is a way that God chooses to change our hearts. God loves a cheerful giver, and yes, God wants to love you and that means God desires us to be givers, not hoarders. There is two giving principles that we should understand and embrace.
Percentage giving and spontaneous giving. The first being a percentage of income to God’s kingdom. Many may do this at their local church, but maybe take on this challenge. Write a check to a random Kingdom investment next time you get some income. One percent, two percent, it doesn’t matter. Write an extra check, regardless of the amount. It will impact your heart.
Then there is the spontaneous giving, the giving that comes int he moment. Whether it is paying it forward at a restaurant, or giving someone something they are in need of, your seat on the bus, a extra napkin, your time. Give when the opportunity arises.
Managers and Owners
We close this topic on an interesting concept. It is easy for us to get in the mindset that we own things, that it is ours, but in reality we own nothing. We consume it and manage it, use it and protect it. Just think of all the things you have “owned” over the years. It may be cars, it may be computers, furniture, sports equipment, even clothes. You had it for a while, it consumed you, you used it and today, it is gone. You actually just used it and managed it while you had it. It is a mind-shift in our thinking and motivation of our assets.
When we are hired onto a job to be responsible for something, we take it serious. That is our job, our obligation. Living with God is the same way. He gives us a responsibility to manage his stuff. When I am a good employee, I don’t lean back and brag about how much the company makes because of me. I should be grateful that the the company has giving me the opportunity to use my skills to make a difference. To take on challenges, come up with solutions, make a difference and provide benefits to the company.
Is that the same mindset we have with God’s Kingdom? Do we believe that we are living and serving God and his resources for his objectives and purposes? Or are are striving to be our own King and reign over our kingdom?
How is your approach as a owner or manager in your life?
We need to come to terms that we really are just the managers of someone else’s assets. With this recognition comes a freedom that “owners” never experience. We will be free from the fear of loss in this life, and more concerned with avoiding total loss in the life to come.
Next Saturday we are going to push into the last of the enemy characteristics, Jealousy and how we can confront it, in chapter 17. This week keep a keen eye on the 3 enemies we have spotted; guilt, anger and greed. If that is too challenging, pay attention to your confession, your forgiveness and generosity.