"A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts the Lord will be enriched." Proverbs 28:25 (ESV)
Our feelings about money, whether we admit it or not, make an impact on our relationships. A man that lives and dwells in greed stirs up strife because of his unrestrained appetite, expectations, and demands on those around him. His heart is never contented with God's provision, so when he sees the line in the sand he jumps all the way over it, offending others along the way.
James 4:1-3 says "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war with you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." But the one who trusts in the Lord is not out for himself. That persons heart is given over to the Lord first and foremost. They will be enriched, in the way that the Lord has promised.
All in all, greed spreads conflict, all the while generosity spreads friendship. We cannot invest money in stocks and expect a return and we also cannot put all our money on black and expect to walk away with double our money, but my friend, godly generosity cannot fail to bless others as well as yourself. Every aspect of our life with Jesus Christ, generosity being one, grow strong with use and they will most certainly wither when we neglect them.
How can I become more generous and less greedy you might ask? Only through the power of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ can we ever hope to conquer greed. Greed, simply put, is sin. The most powerful motivator I have found for generosity is not a threat or demand but the grace of God made plain in Jesus Christ example. Ask yourself this question(I have asked myself the same thing on more than one occasion): How can I be selfish when Christ is so freely generous?
Our feelings about money, whether we admit it or not, make an impact on our relationships. A man that lives and dwells in greed stirs up strife because of his unrestrained appetite, expectations, and demands on those around him. His heart is never contented with God's provision, so when he sees the line in the sand he jumps all the way over it, offending others along the way.
James 4:1-3 says "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war with you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." But the one who trusts in the Lord is not out for himself. That persons heart is given over to the Lord first and foremost. They will be enriched, in the way that the Lord has promised.
All in all, greed spreads conflict, all the while generosity spreads friendship. We cannot invest money in stocks and expect a return and we also cannot put all our money on black and expect to walk away with double our money, but my friend, godly generosity cannot fail to bless others as well as yourself. Every aspect of our life with Jesus Christ, generosity being one, grow strong with use and they will most certainly wither when we neglect them.
How can I become more generous and less greedy you might ask? Only through the power of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ can we ever hope to conquer greed. Greed, simply put, is sin. The most powerful motivator I have found for generosity is not a threat or demand but the grace of God made plain in Jesus Christ example. Ask yourself this question(I have asked myself the same thing on more than one occasion): How can I be selfish when Christ is so freely generous?
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