Greed

"Greed goes much further than money. A person can be greedy for money but also for fame, possessions, attention, compliments, gifts, another person’s time, and more. In the Bible, the words greed, greedily, greedy, and greediness are always used to describe the selfish motivation of a person."

Here at Men's Ministry UK, we want to help men who find that greed gets in the way of serving his family and serving the church. The world around us constantly tells us that we can get whatever we desire, and that we deserve it. If we work hard enough, put in enough hours, we should be rewarded. Whilst the Bible is very clear that we should work, and work hard, here at Men's Ministry UK, we want men to reframe what they see as "reward". Too often, men expecting rewards for their work becomes greed and coverting. Whether it is a new extension or that next bonus, men feel we deserve it, that we should get it. But let us tell you, this couldn't be further from the truth. 

Psalm 1:19 tells us, "Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it." This Psalm is trying to tell us that if we are greedy, and expect to gain from things more than we deserve, than it could take away our lives. 

Jesus himself tells us in Matthew 19:23-26,  “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Greed is a sin that really can prevent us from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament show us that if we crave any form of wealth more than Him, that we are in great danger. 

Here at Men's Minstry UK, we have seen God act in men's lives in ways that seem awful. Redundancy, bankruptcy, even men losing their careers entirely from false accusations. Wonderfully however, these men have all shared how, in the worldly darkness of losing thier jobs and money, they saw the light of the Lord. And God was kind to them. He built them back up, knowing the truth, that Jesus is the light of the world! Jesus tells us on the Sermon on the Mount, "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." Money is not our god, and it is not our light. Too often, we do not see the danger and darkness that money and wealth can create - greed! Greed robs us of trusting God, because we trust money. Here at Men's Ministry UK, we want to help every man know that wee must all fight worldly greed, and if God is kind eenough to bless us financially, that we must seee it as a burden and think how we can use that money for the betterment of God and His people. Many Christian's can't do this and God is kind to many in taking wealth away, but we pray for all men that greed does not become your god.