“Greedy people shoulder the burden to acquire and maintain everything they need to provide the sense of security they desire.”

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) from his book, It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart (pp. 88-90). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition.

But the major problem is they are never going to get enough. What a horrible existence but so many people live it. We think that is a responsible thing to do to acquire and maintain but it can be greed if it’s for the wrong reason.

Now the basic premise of greed is very simple. It means that I don’t trust God to meet my needs. And this lack of trust seems to get greater and greater the older we get. It really does but worrying about retirement is a good thing isn’t it? Is it? Listen, worry is never a good thing. It says I don’t trust you God.

Now it is important to be a responsible person, to make sure that we save and plan for our future. It really is but to worry and worry and live in fear of not having enough is not what God wants from us. I also don’t think He wants us to leave it all up to Him and not make plans. No, we do need to set aside 10% of our income for Him and then 10% for ourselves and strive to live within the other 80%. The key is to learn to be satisfied. We think we need way more than we really need.

We lived in a 3000+ sq. ft. house in Las Vegas, Nevada. There were 4 people and 5 bedrooms. Then we moved to Long Island, New York and found that we didn’t make enough money to live in that kind of house so our needs quickly changed. We really didn’t need as much as we thought we needed. My son-in-law and daughter are moving into New York City and they will be going even small and Margaret and I are moving to Florida and also will be going smaller. And it will be more than enough. And we will be secure.

So the key is to save, give to God and others, learn to be satisfied with less and trust God for the rest. We don’t really need as much as we think we do. The problem is not need but want and that is where greed comes in.

So how much do you need to feel secure?

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