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Be on Your Guard Against…..Greed?

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭15,‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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.”


This is the only place in which Jesus uses the Greek word for the action of a military guard in this way, when he says those words—be on your guard against.


And he uses it when he’s talking about greed.


Wow.


The context of this verse is the Parable of the Rich Fool, in which Jesus tells the story of a rich landowner who, after receiving an abundant harvest, decides he will tear down his barns to build bigger ones in order to store his abundance. The heart of this rich man was for his own benefit, when he thinks to himself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” (verse 19)


And God responds to this man’s self-centeredness with these words:


“You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (verse 20)


That’s pretty intense.


There are other stories throughout the Bible where we see severe punishment for greed in the people of God:


  • Achan and his family are killed (Joshua 7)

  • Gehazi is given leprosy (2 Kings 5)

  • Ananias and Saphira drop dead (Acts 5)


Greed means to have an intense desire for something, or an intense desire for more of something. It can be likened to lust—and it’s a form of idolatry (which is why God takes it so seriously). And Jesus instructs us to “watch out” for it and be on our guard against it—which implies that greed must be constantly crouching at the door of our heart.


Human nature is self-centered, and culture only encourages this thinking. Our thoughts and our choices are pretty much constantly centered around us—our desires, our happiness, our comfort. But Jesus teaches another way. 


The entire Gospel message—and the entire New Testament really—is woven together with this essential truth: my life is not about me.


Greed hinges upon self-centeredness. So how can we guard against it? By being God-and-others-centered. 


Oh Lord, help us. Give us the grace to live wisely, while also dying to self and becoming God-and-others-centered. Open our eyes to the places where greed has taken root in our hearts, and help us to repent and then guard that place when you reveal it. Amen.

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