There are several scriptures in the bible on greed…
…where Jesus talked about money more than any other topic, and money is still a huge topic today.
Money can change the outcome of many relationships and when we view it the right way… it can be a help to so many, but if we see it the wrong way… it can sever relationships. The Rich Man in Luke 18 made a decision not to follow Jesus because of his wealth.
The prodigal son asked for his inheritance from his father as if his father was dead, choosing money over living life with his family. The parable of the rich fool speaks about storing up treasure in heaven and that we should beware of covetousness. As Fisher Amelie once said, “Greed is a strange, strange sin. All you want to do is acquire. Acquire money, acquire material, acquire time, acquire energy, acquire attention, the running mantra is “I want, I want, I want” but that quickly turns to “I need, I need, I need.”
Greed has a grip on our society and has infiltrated the government, marketplace, and even our homes. It creates a divide between a moral compass and relationships. It can hover over its victims mind like a dark plague, a relentless desire to acquire more and give less. Greed can come in many forms, but one that can affect us quickly is the love of money. How much of it can we have? How much do others have? It can build an illusion in our mind that if we had more, we would be happy. It can cause us to lie, cheat, and steal.
Greed Qualities
Greed, like many other substances, is addictive, its power can make people do whatever it takes to get what they want, even lying. And like any other addictive behavior, its craving has to be continually fed, which means that person will frequently lie, or manipulate situations, accounts, or work themselves and others for hours for monetary gain.
This can cause a rift in the workplace. The employees can lose trust in a greedy boss who promotes them to work hard, but does not reward them with higher wages, because his/her expectation is to increase wealth and not have an overall successful company.
Greed is the cry for more, more, more… at the expense of others. A person who is struggling with greed will want more wealth, power, possessions, and gratifications.
Greed can destroy a company in many ways:
It can lead individuals to make bad personnel decisions. Example: If Joe is bringing in a reasonable amount of money for the company, but has no respect for the other employees, this can hurt morale and create a poor environment.
Not allowing vacations: If making money is more important than letting employees or yourself take time off, everyone will eventually feel the effects, mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Employees can feel alienated if the employer stockpiles all the money for themselves. If employees are working hard, words of thankfulness and praise can do much for morale, and if a raise is expected, provide it before they decide to find a job that will pay them well for their services.
Let the employees see kindness by giving and encourage them to give, as well. It is always better to give than to receive. Reminding ourselves that our business was developed to help others will keep our company on a straight path to success.
I would like to sum it up with this quote by Robert Moorehead…
Relationships have so much more value than money.
People are the most valued commodity that we will invest in. Let’s not pollute our souls with greed, but saturate it with the love of giving… giving to others.
Check out some the Tedx Talk videos about greed below.
🎞️ The science of greed | Paul K. Piff
🎞️ Generosity, greed and grey matter: Dr Lynda Shaw
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