The Idol of More: Why Greed Can't Fill You

And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Luke 12:15

Greed stems from the desire to have more. It is, in essence, the idea of never being satisfied. A person full of greed will always feel unsatisfied. Sometimes we can get greed confused with ambition, but a Godly ambition typically means that someone has a desire to achieve something that is aligned with their purpose and God’s plan for their lives. Although an ambitious person may want to accomplish this thing, they normally don’t have any selfish intentions with it. On the other hand, greed is often driven by a desire for self-gain and self-exaltation.

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. Ecclesiastes 5:10-12

Greed usually shows itself subtly and is often pushed loudly through culture. We are always encouraged to reach for more: more money, more status, more possessions, and more influence, all for personal gain. The idea of more is brought with false promises that with more, we will be satisfied or feel accomplished. It puts us in a rat race, a never-ending cycle.

Greed is an idolatry issue. It says that God is not enough. It sends the message that in order to be who God has called us to be, we need more. In order to feel secure and significant, I need more than what God has given me. And whatever we think will bring us that “more” we are searching for, becomes what we think about and pursue the most. It gets the worship that only belongs to God.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. Matthew 22:37-38

Greed not only affects us individually, but it also affects our relationships. It builds up pride in us that moves us far away from humility.  It blocks us from following God’s lead and draws us into what will cause temporary happiness. Greed opens up the door for Satan to lead us onto paths of self-destruction.  Mentally, it causes anxiety and burnout as we put ourselves in overdrive, aspiring to attain more than we need to. It makes us believe that we will eventually get to a place that will satisfy our desires. But no matter how much we get, we will continue to feel empty because the desire for more is a spiritual issue and not a material one. The longing for more was put there by God and it can only be fulfilled by God. Those temporary pleasures won’t fill the deep desires we are longing for. If we believe that God is our Shepherd, we believe that he knows and will guide us to what we need. As a gracious and faithful Father, he knows just what we need.

The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Psalm 34:10

We see greed lead to disobedience in Joshua 9 as Achan disobeyed the Lord. As Joshua and the people were seizing Jericho, God gave them instructions not to take any of the “things devoted to destruction.”

But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” Joshua 6:18-19

Anchan decided to take some things for himself. The spirit of greed led him to disobey God and covet the goods.

And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” Joshua 7:20-21

As a result of this, God’s wrath fell on the entire camp. His desire to have these things was probably due to his inability to trust that God would provide. We must be careful that we don’t allow our lack of trust in God to make way for the enemy to come in.

Instead of greed, God wants us to be content, trust in his character, be generous towards others, and always think with a Kingdom mindset. We were created for more than a rat race of chasing more and more; we were created for God.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Psalm 16:11

So the question we must ask ourselves is: Am I chasing more, or am I drawing closer to the One who is already everything?

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