Greedy or Godly?

Recently Income Tax officials seized a huge haul of gold jewelry and cash from Saravana Stores Enterprises in Chennai, India. The three brothers who own these stores were evading tax and investing the money in stocks. Why are some, like these brothers, greedy? Why are they saving money for generations? Probably they think that materialism is the answer for everything in this world.

Jesus has illustrated such a similar story nearly 2000 years ago. Here is the story: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' (Luke 12:16-20).

Through this story, Jesus enforced the truth that a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. He therefore asks us to be on the watch out every kind of greed (Luke 12:15). Greedy people bring trouble to their families (Proverbs 15:27). Gehazi, prophet Elijah’s servant coveted the offering Naaman brought for his master. Gehazi’s greed caused him and his entire family and his descendants to be afflicted with leprosy (2 Kings 5:27). Ananias and Sapphira’s greed for money costed them their lives (Acts 5).

The Bible contrasts the greedy to a Godly giver. Psalm 37:21 says that the righteous (the godly) give generously. The Psalmist re-iterates that the righteous are ‘always’ generous and lend freely (v.26).  The wise writer says,  "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done" (Proverbs 19:17). He also says that the righteous give without sparing (Proverbs 21:26). True to these verses was the life of Cornelius. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing. Cornelius gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly (Acts 10:2).  He and his family and relatives were blessed to be the first followers of Christ from a gentile background in the early church history.

The Jerusalem Church (the mother church) was a model in giving. The members of this church sold their possessions and goods and gave to anyone who had a need (Acts 2:45). Because of this giving, there was no one who was in need (Acts 4:34-35). And if we consider the Jerusalem church as a model on giving, it was the Macedonian-daughter-church which resembled the mother in that aspect. Later during an adverse situation in Jerusalem, it was the people in the Macedonian church, who in spite of their poverty, who supported the suffering saints in Jerusalem. They gave beyond their ability (2 Corinthians 8:1-3). So generosity is best measured not by the sum of what is given but by the sacrifice that comes with it. David said that he would not give an offering that would cost him nothing (1 Chronicles 21:24).

Instead of defining our worth by our bank accounts, God wants us to be rich in good deeds, to be generous with our money, and to share with those who need it. God gives us money to use in His name, to do His work on earth. And God keeps very good records. He will reward generous givers here, while they are on this earth and in eternity too.

Now he (God) who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God (2 Corinthians 9:10-11).