"Need.......Greed"

by WXAN & KMHM General Manager, Doug Apple

I was news director at a radio station when he called. He wanted me to do an expose on the Public Aid office because they were not giving him all the money he said he deserved. I decided to pay him a visit, and found him and his wife living in a dirty trailer with a very large television.

I never did the expose, but some of us young Christians began reaching out to this poor, 30-something couple. We invited them to our youth group meetings, drove them to church, and even ran errands for them (with one exception: I would not take them to get cigarettes!) I must say they were smelly and socially unacceptable, and we felt great to be ministering to such a needy pair.

Once after a Sunday evening service one of the established families of the church invited the youth group to their house for food and fellowship. Since we had brought this couple with us that night, well, we decided to take them with us to the “afterglow”! 

Of course everyone was starving after church, and when we arrived there was a table full of food, including a large pyramid of sandwich quarters, neatly arranged. When our friends saw the food, their eyes almost bugged out! But we told them we had to wait until we gave thanks to God for the food.

So a short prayer was said, and then the “Amen”. Suddenly, like a bucking bronco released from the shoot, this quite large woman charged to attack the pile of sandwiches! She stacked her plate high, and ate every bite.

Did she “need” all of that food?  Of course not. If your 5-year-old child started taking too much food you might lean over and say something like, “Stop being so greedy.”

Along this same line, Jesus has something to say to all of us. In Luke 12:15 the Lord said, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed…”

Imagine a continuum like this:

Need……………………..Greed

Many decisions we make in life land somewhere on this line. Jesus warns us to be on our guard against sliding down the greed scale. This is especially true regarding the use of money, but it applies in many other areas, such as time and resources.
I heard a good story on our station recently. Dr. James Dobson of “Focus on the Family” was to appear on “Larry King Live.” He wanted his staff to check out the tape of his last appearance to make sure he didn't wear the same suit. What the staff noticed more than the suit was the cheap watch Dr. Dobson was wearing. They suggested he pick up something more expensive, something more in line with his position. He replied that the old inexpensive watch worked fine and that no, he would not get another one.

When you buy your next watch, or your next widget, will you buy what meets your needs, or will you scoot down the greed line? Jesus warns us to be on our guard against all kinds of greed. How does this apply to your life? Pray about it and allow God to lead you into a closer walk with Him, and He will show you exactly how to “be on your guard.”