Adam’s Angle: The Cookie Monster Within

There’s a little blue Cookie Monster inside each of us that could ruin us spiritually if we don’t watch out. Its name is Greed.

Normally when we think of Greed, it’s tucked away in some glass-paneled, corner office of an Enron executive a billion miles away. Surely greed has nothing to do with us (the little guys), does it?

Actually it does. You don’t have to be rich to have your faith shipwrecked by greed. In fact, it isn’t always about money. You could be greedy with other things you’ve been given: your time, your talents, your position of influence. What makes greed greed is the “what’s in it for me” attitude. You see it whenever you bend over backwards to build up your little kingdom here on earth. You hear it every time your two-year-old screams “Mine!”

In fact, it’s so prevalent and so dangerous that Jesus warned his disciples about it explicitly. He wanted them to know that living lives focused on enriching ourselves is a sure way to become spiritually bankrupt.

“I just want what’s coming to me!”

In Luke chapter 12 we see a man who got the chance of a lifetime — and blew it. He is a nameless man in a crowd who was trying to get Jesus’ attention. He called out, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me” (Luke 12:13). The man probably knew enough about Jesus to know that He is just. He probably thought Jesus would set his brother straight about cheating him and he’d finally be in the money. But his plan backfired.

Jesus replies, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” (Luke 12:14). Jesus apparently wasn’t interested in the family drama. There was something bigger at stake here. He spoke to the crowds, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). The man in the crowd was so consumed with getting what was coming to him he not only jeopardized his relationship with his family but also missed out on his interaction with Jesus.

What was even worse, though, was the end that man would face if he continued to live a life just looking out for No. 1. Seeing the havoc greed was causing the man, Jesus told a parable of a rich man who was, strangely enough, tested through a blessing he received from God. He was a wealthy landowner and already had a lot. Then one season, God blessed him with bumper crops. But the man was troubled. His barns weren’t big enough to hold the blessing! What would he do?

The rich man in the parable chose poorly. He considered his bumper crops and said, “I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones . . . and I will say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry’” (Luke 12:18-19). But God’s assessment of the man’s decision was different. He said, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” Jesus concludes the parable with a sober thought, “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God” (Luke 12:20-21).

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

You may not be a wealthy landowner. You may not have gotten a season of bumper crops. But each one of us has been given good things by God. We’ve all been given talents. Some of us have been blessed with an open schedule with lots of free time. Some of us may have just gotten a financial windfall. Some of us may have gotten a promotion at work. How do you react when God blesses you? What’s your gut reaction? Is your inclination more toward how you can bless yourself and your family, or how you can use that gift for God?

The mistake of the man in the crowd was in thinking that “stuff” was a good way to measure his success in life. The mistake of the man in the parable was thinking that his stuff was actually his. In truth, all of it, even his life, belonged to God.

God puts talents, time and possessions in our hands for a brief moment, and He takes note of what we do with what He has provided. Each day, you can use what He’s given you to build up your own kingdom or to build up His kingdom. Choose wisely.

— Adam Pivec