How can I resist the temptation of greed?

Mark 10:21-22Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

We should ask: How tightly do I hold on to what I have? Jesus doesn’t ask all of us to give up everything we have, but if he did, could we?

1 Samuel 8:3They [Samuel’s sons] were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.

Proverbs 1:19Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life.

Proverbs 28:25Greed causes fighting; trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.

Ephesians 5:5You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

2 Peter 2:14They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.

We should ask: Who do I know that is greedy and stingy? Do I really want to become like them?

Matthew 6:19-21“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Luke 9:23-25Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?”

We should ask: How long do I want to enjoy the good things in life? If we want to enjoy them temporarily, just in this life, then we will have more trouble with greed. If we want to enjoy good things for eternity, then we will invest in our relationships with God and others so that we can enjoy God’s rewards forever.

Job 1:21He [Job] said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

1 Corinthians 4:7What gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?

We should ask: Who really owns my things? We should remind ourselves that everything comes from the hand of God, and therefore everything belongs to God. This will change our perspective on our possessions.

Colossians 3:2-3Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

We should ask: What do I think most about? We should redirect our focus from material things that don’t last to things that last forever—our relationship with God and with others.