Double Protection
And He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of possessions.” Luke 12:15
Beware and Be On Your Guard – The forms of greed are slippery and seductive. They don’t always come denominated in currency. Wherever I decide to take rather than oversee for the King, I move toward self-control rather than fiduciary responsibility. The test is really pretty simple. When my want becomes bigger than what God gives, I am in trouble.
That’s why Jesus exhorts two forms of protection. The first is horao (“beware”). It literally means “to take heed, to watch attentively, to scrutinize.” The first step in protection against greed is recognizing what you are doing. This is more than acknowledgment. I can quickly agree that my behavior and attitudes are self-centered, but my agreement won’t matter at all unless I am aware of the tremendous danger. Sin perverts God’s natural law of action and consequence by deferring the detrimental result. Therefore, I am seduced into believing that there is no consequence for my act. I fail to take heed and observe what is really happening, just as Adam and Eve failed to notice that the innocence of their relationship with the Creator slipped away in a moment of self-indulgence. I need more than agreement. I need to see my actions with God’s eyes. Then, and only then, will I see them for their true worth.
Secondly, Jesus tells us to be on our guard. The word is phulasso. In the middle voice, it means “protect yourself.” See the world the way God does, and act accordingly. Flee evil. Resist temptation. Stand up for justice. Do no give in to the opportunity to take.
Do I see greed when it slithers through the tiny opening in my life? Do I know enough about my own vulnerabilities, my own heart sin-sickness to recognize the signs? If I do, have I done what I should to protect myself?
The greatest battle you will ever fight with greed, in all its forms, will be fought on the plains of your mind. The great strategy of the enemy is to tempt to you take what lies before you, without waiting for God to give it to you. Greed is simply wanting what I want without consideration of my fiduciary responsibility to the King’s treasury. It’s not just money that’s in the King’s treasury. It’s whatever He puts before me that I am called to cherish. People, possessions, even places. When I drop my guard, I feel the pull. “Just take it. Why not? It’s right there. You earned it (that should be a big red flag). You deserve it. No one cares. It’s perfectly legal – and harmless. So go ahead.”
“And she saw that it was a delight to the eyes.” But, of course, she didn’t really see, did she?
