Greedy Generosity
Let's talk about supply and demand. As a consumer I demand that you supply me with what I want, when I want it, at a price I can afford! We are a nation of consumers. Our economy is based on the idea that you and I need to buy things. There's nothing implicitly wrong with this. God's given us needs and given us the resources and/or the ability to meet those needs.
The danger of capitalism and the free market economy is that, in it's most extreme form, greed is what drives the process. Consumers aren't interested in what's good for others. They're interested in whats good for them. It affects the way we give, the way we live, the way we think and the way we work. We give, only if we get something in return. We live for ourselves and ignore the needs of others. We obsess over the things we have and worse over the things we don't. Instead of work being an honorable means to make a living and add value to the world around us work becomes this tolerable evil that we endure for the paycheck until we can afford to retire.
But there is a better way.
1 Corinthians 13 calls it charity. Some translations call it love. Before you think I sound too hippy or touchy-feely, consider this idea: My dad used to tell me that the real power of capitalism didn't come from competition, but from cooperation and collaboration. If you're looking for a financial word to describe what I'm talking about the word is INVESTMENT. If you're looking for a moral word, it's RESPONSIBILITY. If you're looking for a practical word, it's CONTRIBUTE.
How would your job be different if you went to work Monday trying to see how much you can give? How would your school change if you looked to add something to it rather than take something away? What kind of impact could your church make if you showed up ready to give instead of demanding to receive?
You see, that consumer mentality tends to infect every nuance of our thinking. So can being a contributor. A contributor looks to add value to people, circumstances and organizations. A contributor is focused on the needs of others. A contributor makes a difference while a consumer leaves a trail of used up resources, exhausted personnel and an empty hunger that is never satisfied.
In this story, Ananias and Sapphira are examples of consumers practicing greedy generosity. They weren't giving their best or even out of the goodness of their heart. They gave as consumers expecting to get something in return. They lied to themselves and to others and in the end their greedy generosity killed them.
Today - are you a contributor or a consumer? Do you give to receive? What's your motivation for giving? What can you do to change your worldview from greedy generosity to cheerful giver? Become a contributor and watch God change the world through you.
Created over 1 year ago
