Greedy Log
It was just for a moment. If I had tried I probably could have ignored it altogether and not dealt with it at all. But, the Holy Spirit wasn’t willing for me to let this one pass. It was greed, pure and simple greed.
My husband saw some people yesterday that we hadn’t seen for about a month and in that time their finances had taken a real turn. They are able to pay their bills but food was looking like a luxury. He suggested we send them some money. Fine, how much do you think? He thought a bigger number than I thought. For just a moment I caught myself thinking how I could decrease the amount! Greed.
The reason this caught me so off guard – and the reason I believe that the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let me get away with it – is because I have been kind of hard on a couple of people lately (in my thinking) who I think are being greedy. The circumstances are very different but the sin is the same.
The first woman I heard talking was a single Mom who was telling some people what a blessing an “under the table” job had been this past summer. Aren’t blessings from God? Isn’t working under the table cheating the government and illegal? Can we call that a blessing or is it greed for unjust gain? No one else seemed at all concerned but happy for her. I kept my mouth shut but have been wondering ever since if I should have said something.
Proverbs 1:19 says, “Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.”
The second person has been receiving unemployment benefits for a long time – so long that I can’t imagine how this has been permitted. Apparently this person’s timing has been that they have benefited from every Obama extension of benefits. My problem is that this is a Christian who is not looking for work. From what I understand there’s no lying involved. This person checks in regularly on a website that asks questions that are easy to answer honestly – even if you have no intention of looking for work.
This situation is a little stickier because we all pay into these benefits and I recognize they are truly helpful to many people when they lose their jobs. But, if many people can take advantage of this system it’s the taxpayer who is being cheated. From a Christian perspective to take a benefit that we don’t need is greedy. This, too, looks like unjust gain to me.
So, yesterday the Lord reminded me that I need to take the log out of my own eye before I point my finger at anyone else’s sin. Greed is one of those insidious sins that we can pretend isn’t there. I sent the amount my husband suggested and I did it willingly. God is so good. I literally only wrestled with this for a couple of seconds because I was so quickly convicted of the thought.
As I sat this morning thinking about my “to do” list that includes getting that gift in the mail, the Lord showed me that I should be very grateful for my generous husband. You see, often I am the beneficiary of his generosity!
So, I will try to get that greedy log out of my own eye and then I will seek the Lord about whether or not He needs me to point out someone else’s. After all, He convicted me all by Himself!