The Deadly Series: Greed VS Asceticism
Welcome back to week 2 of another round of blog posts in our 7 week Deadly Series. In this series, we will be discussing 7 deadly sins that God finds detestable to His people, how we should refrain from possessing these toxic traits, and also display the heavenly opposing traits to combat the 7 deadly ones.
This series will be informative, thought-provoking, and filled with various bible scriptures to help support each discussion-based topic. Within this series, viewers/ readers will access printable and downloadable free content to further enrich their knowledge and gain more Golden Nuggets.
If you haven’t already, and this is your first time joining us, then feel free to catch up on last week's blog post down below. Last week we discussed the Deadly Sin: Pride and the Godly Trait of Humility.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come to you as humbly as we know how to read and understand your Word. Your word says my people perish for the lack of knowledge [Hosea 4:6]. Lord, the people who are reading this right now want to be informed and healed, not by me, Lord, but by your Word, and your Word only. Bless and keep those who want to learn and keep your commandments. Blessed are the people who follow you and know your name. Lord, please bless and keep us all. As we embark on this journey in studying your Word, please give us the understanding and the courage to correct and apply it to our lives. God, we thank you, we love you! In Jesus’ Name. Amen!
Let’s Dig In, Shall We!
A Greedy Spirit
The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the LORD will prosper.
Proverbs 28:25
Greed: an insatiable desire for something. Usually related to food, wealth, money, possessions, and power.
Greed is our second Deadly Sin since the start of our Deadly Series. Having a Greedy Spirit taints our character. When we get to a place where we are only thinking of ourselves and not others, better yet not of God then we are spiritually in a dangerous place.
Let’s read more to find out, Shall we!
Greed is a SIN
Nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:10
In various passages, God warns us about greed. God knew that people would be more inclined to fall short due to the desire of hoarding worldly possessions. God hates greedy people. Just from the scripture above, people that hold greed in their hearts will not inherit the Kingdom of God. So, it’s safe to say, greed is definitely a sin!
How many of you struggle with Greed?
Don’t be shy!
Greed opens up a lot of sinful pathways just like pride does. We can fall into sin literally by not being satisfied with what God has already allowed in our lives. When we start overriding what God has already allowed by wanting or desiring more, then we are being greedy. Greed comes in many forms as we stated in our definition; food [gluttoney], wealth, worldly possessions, money, and power are all pathways that lead to a deadly lifestyle. It’s so hard to not fall into them because the world makes it so easy to indulge in. Society makes not only greed but sin overall, seem necessary and compelling to take part in. I’m going to put a pin in this here, but we will get to the worldly perspective a little later in this post, for now, let’s further discuss what God says about greed.
What Does God Say About Being Greedy?
Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
Proverbs 11:28
The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.
Proverbs 5:27
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.
Luke 12:15
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
1 Timothy 6:9-10
I mean, these passages are pretty self-explanatory. If we trust in anything but God then we will fall into destruction and not thrive. Our households will be ruined because of our selfishness and greedy ambitions. We are in the world but not of it, and in doing so, we shouldn’t have an excessive amount of possessions. When we desire to be rich and thrive off of that, we will fall. This will be the fall of you and will open other gateways into a deadly life that is detestable to Him.
People In The Bible That Struggled With Pride
Jesus Told a Parable About Greed. If you turn to the book of Luke 12: 16-21, here we have an example of a greedy rich man. The bible says that the land of this rich man was blessed with a plentiful harvest so much so that he had no room to store up his grains and goods. So, he took it upon himself to tear down his old barns and build new bigger ones that would accommodate for his bountiful harvest. [Luke 12: 16-18]
Luke 12: 19-20, says with building bigger barns the rich man can now have goods that will last him years and he can now relax and live merrily. God came to the man and basically said who told you to do this because I didn’t. God even called him a fool in my NIV version.
When we don’t include God in our plans we will fail in the process
Selfishness is not good
Just because you have a bountiful harvest of something, doesn’t mean you should excessively keep it to yourself, sharing is caring!
Judas Iscariot
Judas is a familiar person of interest that loved money. I don’t know how many people are familiar with Judas, but I will fill you in. Judas is one of the 12 disciples that followed Jesus. Judas played a huge role in Jesus’ death because of this sinful greed for money. Influenced by his love for money he betrayed Jesus, his Master for the sake of thirty pieces of silver. [Matthew 26:15] This is why we have to be watchful of ourselves and our ambitions.
Can you imagine selling out and betraying Jesus Christ over thirty pieces of silver?
The scripture went on to say that afterward Judas felt condemned and was deeply troubled with what he had done. He even went back to the priests and confessed along with bringing back the thirty silver pieces. [Matthew 27:3-5]
The tragic fall and end to Judas was him hanging himself because of his guilt. Before I continue, let me ask this question.
Do you think that God would have forgiven Judas for betraying Jesus?
Do you think Judas was in the right to take his own life?
In my honest opinion, I know for a fact that God would have forgiven him for his betrayal. Judas allowed his guilt to overtake him because of what he did and who he did it to. We have to remember that God knows that we are going to make mistakes and that when we do he wants us to learn from them. The way that Judas went about ridding himself of his guilt was wrong, suicide was not the answer and never is. Judas took his life before God had intended for him to pass.
Worldly Perspective on Greed
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money
Matthew 6:24
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.”
Hebrew 13:5
I can remember when the pandemic hit, the world was in such distress and fear. Being in a state of uncertainty of the unknown will fuel you to do the unthinkable. People proclaim that they are not greedy until something catastrophic happens that threatens you, your family, and even your livelihood. Only then can we see the true character of one’s actions.
It was disheartening to watch people loot and steal things from stores and banks and also damaging property and the lives of others. People filling their shopping carts with stolen goods that they didn’t pay for simply because they can and because there was an opportunity to do so. Just because people were getting away with it shouldn’t encourage others to take part in it. This is what greed does and is.
If by chance you were one of those people, I am not judging you by any means but only acknowledging the sin. I only pray that you now know better now, tensions were at an all-time high last year, so I get it, but still. Pray for forgiveness and correct your behavior. You can do it!
Another thing that really speaks volumes was when people were hoarding items for themselves when there was a major shortage of meat, cleaning supplies, and toilet tissue. So, I say all of that to say this, we have to check our greed and our contentment with what God allows. The bible tells us, no, instructs us, to not be conformed to this world. Conform means to be in agreement with, to share similarities. We constantly have to remind ourselves that we are not of this world.
This world, this society, wants us to live in fear. To be worn out and down with fear. I had to take a mental break from watching the news because it was affecting my mental health and causing me to live in fear and anxiety.
Which you already know we shouldn’t be doing. When God said, cast all your CARES and ANXIETIES over to Him, He meant that wholeheartedly. [1 Peter 5:7] It’s hard to think that God loves us when we have a lot of uncontrollable events happening in the world. I always have to refer back to the bible because that is the only thing that will stand, it says, “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” [1 John 2:17] This is a promise that God holds true.
Honorable Mentions About Greed
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Mark 8:36
A faithful person will be richly blessed,
but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 28:20
Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless
Ecclesiastes 5:10
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Proverbs 22:1
The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.
Proverbs 22:9
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
1 Peter 5:2-3
It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep. Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.
Proverbs 25:27-28
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.
Luke 12:15
Characteristics of Greed
Bystanders
These types of people are greedy because they will do any and everything to get out of doing work. They will sit back and do the bare minimum while watching others do all of the hard work but will be the first person to have their hand out for the award based on the effort of someone else. [ The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. Proverbs 13:4]
Stingy
This person is greedy because they will hoard things and take things and will not share them with others. They will have an overabundance or excess of something and instead of giving it to those who are in need of it, they would rather keep it for themselves even though they would never be able to use it all. [ A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him. Proverbs 28:22]
Thieves
These are the type of greedy people that will take things that do not belong to them even if it is at the expense of others and even if they already have the means to attain it. These people are willing to steal any and everything from credit to work they didn’t do to your confidence, peace, and joy! [ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10]
Con Artist
These are greedy people that are always looking for ways to go around the system. They look for ways to outsmart the rules, laws, and regulations that are put in place to protect the system, for their own personal gain and growth. These people are like the bystanders in which they are always seeking to offload their responsibilities, cost, and so on, on someone else! These greedy people are master manipulators that are extremely charming. [ Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. Proverbs 10:9]
Selfish
This type of person is greedy because everything is and has to be all about them. The only thing that matters to them is their own emotions, thoughts, feelings, and so on. This person will use you and then toss you away when they are done. They are the only thing that matters to them and they do not care if they hurt you in the process as to them you are only a means to an end. They lack empathy, and have little to no genuine interest in your ideas, plans, or goals. They are unwilling to take responsibility for their behavior/actions and their personalities border on narcissism. [ For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 2 Timothy 3:2-5]
Something for Nothing
I am sure that you have heard of these types of greedy people before if you haven’t then let me tell you! These people are the very first ones asking for more constantly but are always last to put in any effort of their own to earn the reward themselves. Think about it like a potluck where all of your coworkers except one worked hard to cook and bring a covered dish. The one who didn’t bring a dish, brought a bowl to take food home in but put in no effort to cook themselves, nor to help clean up afterwards. This is not only greedy but selfish as well. [ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4]
Hypocrites
These people are greedy because they will have strong opinions about issues that may be conflicting but will expect others to bear the weight of the burden. They will agree to things so long as it does not affect them in the scheme of things. Think about it like this, this is someone that is for taxes being raised, as long as the additional raised taxes don’t affect or impact their own wallets. [ Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 1 John 2:9]
Shades of Greed
Please take some time now and read some of the shades of greed below and see if these apply to you or not. If they do, then that’s okay, we are all a work in progress. We are all growing in Christ and are learning each and every day! Jot down the statements that apply to you and go to God in prayer, ask Him to help you with them.
It’s all about me, me, me!
Gimme, I want that, and I want that too!
I can have my cake and eat it too!
More is always better!
I like what they have, I want it too!
I need more!
Because I have a lot already, I can collect even more for myself!
I already ate, but because it’s free I want to eat it!
If I want it, I got it!
I will do practically anything to get what I want!
Put Your Greed In ✅
Golden Nuggets I Leave You!
Hey Golden Family, I hope today was an attention grabber. I hope you learned a lot about Greed and how it can droop our hearts and minds when walking with Christ. I hope that you see that I am coming from a place of love and not chastising anyone but really honing in on the toxic behavior that we ALL struggle with. Be kind to yourself and others, always be the best version of yourself through Christ Jesus.
I hope you enjoyed yourself and I hope today’s topic penetrated your mind, heart, and soul. I pray that it moved you in a way that changed your perspective and has shifted you into purpose.
Lastly, I’ll leave you with this, before you do anything in this world, check your heart first. Jesus is the symbol of everlasting love and he came from an everlasting God who created you. Be kind, and show humility. Greed kills the spirit, but God heals and restores the soul.
My ultimate prayer is that you use the information provided and the tools, like the worksheets to further expand your knowledge. In this, I pray Amen.
Questions To Consider:
Are you a greedy person by nature?
What other behaviors or sins can you associate with greed?
What comes to mind when you hear the word greed?
What does Colossians 3:5-11 teach you about greed? Why is it dangerous? How can you picture greed shaping a molding a person’s life, behavior, and relationships?
Hey Golden Fam,
Reading this post really brought a lot into perspective about greed. To answer your question about what comes to mind when I hear the word greed, I think about it in all aspects of life. Greed is usually associated with money and food but we can be greedy over a lot of things. Greed makes people entitled. Those who are popular, or those who have wealth think that whatever they want they are entitled to have, simply because they have the means to attain it. What most don't realize is that you can be greedy with people's time, money, food, personal belongings. Greed extends especially in times of panic people will buy and hoard way more than…