QUICK THOUGHT: The Idol of Greed

This is an experiment. I wanted to try a short devotion and see if I could do it, and if it was any good. For this week, I want to talk about idols. The first is, in my opinion, the most obvious...greed.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:08

Welcome to Balancing the Christian Life . Quick Thoughts . I'm Dr Kenny Embry . Join me as we figure out what it means to live as a Christian .

Speaker 1 0:16

Idolatry is one of the sins of the Old Testament I can't relate to very well . I don't understand how or why the Israelites were ever tempted by statues of wood or metals . It seems silly to invest any kind of trust into the very materials we surround ourselves with , and from an outsider's point of view it is silly . Isaiah even made the point that the people would take a log , make a statue out of one half of it , then burn the other half . Look , it's all the same thing . The very thing they burned was the same thing they worshipped . Yeah , that's stupid , but our idols end up looking pretty similar . We use our time and resources in the pursuit of stupid stuff , and we know it's stupid as we're doing it . And if you don't , then let me admit that I do it as we're doing it . And if you don't , then let me admit that I do .

Speaker 1 1:08

Do any of us for a moment believe money or greed are virtues ? We can quote 1 Timothy 6 , where we're told the love of money is the root of all evil , and most of us are quick to point out that it's the love of money and not money itself . Yet how much of our lives is spent pursuing money ? How many times are we tempted to work for more to make more ? Or , on the opposite end , how many of us are willing to clip coupons to save a buck ? If we're honest with ourselves , we know money is one of our motivations and it's an easy thing that has become an idol to us and those around us . Let's face it we're often more interested in lifestyles of the rich and famous and not wasting time with the poor and obscure . God has told us outright we cannot serve him and greed . So how do we avoid making money our master ? Let me suggest three quick recommendations from someone who has failed at this far more times than I can imagine .

Speaker 1 2:12

First , pray about your problem . The reason we pray isn't to inform God . God already knows what problem you have . He knows how much money affects you . He knows it better than you do . But money is one of those things we love to fool ourselves about . We think we can handle it , but if you admit to God this is a problem , you're really admitting to yourself . Second , be more generous . You might not have a lot of money , but I promise you have something that could help someone else . It could be a few bucks , a few minutes or letting somebody have your expertise for a little while . If you want to lose greed , gain generosity , give freely what others cannot afford . Finally , try spending fast . This looks identical to saving money , but it has a different goal . When we pursue money by either working for more or saving , we're keeping money and greed in the driver's seat . But if we devalue what money can do at all , it has less power overs .

Speaker 1 3:27

For many years , at my family's Thanksgiving , we would play a competitive basketball game with the family . I wasn't a good player and it was easy to get mad , frustrated or both , because I could not seem to get the ball where I wanted it . But one year something magical happened . I stopped caring whether my team won or lost . The taunting didn't mean anything because the game didn't mean anything . Frankly , I don't remember what years my team won or lost because I stopped caring .

Speaker 1 4:06

Now do the same thing for spending . Try spending fast because you don't care about what money can buy . I know that's really difficult because I'm asking you to take the emotions out of money and frankly , it's the emotions that are the problem , but intentionally take a break from spending for a day , two days or a week and see what , if anything , changes . See if you think about God differently . See if you see your relationships differently . See who you are , apart from the little green pieces of paper that seem to change everything . Okay , let's take this to God . Dear Lord , we have a difficult relationship with money . You know that better than we do . Help us to make money , our servant and not our master . We know money is necessary for us , but loving it isn't . So , lord , help us to keep you where you belong and money where it belongs . Help us to be more generous and give what we can while we can . You are our Father . Help us to be good children In the name of our King , amen . Now let's be good and do good .