I have heard the expression in the past “God will supply your need but not your greed”.

This sounds great on the surface, but really it is confusing because need is closer to an amount, but greed is really an attitude. By putting need and greed together in the same sentence, it makes greed appear to be an amount, but it is not an amount.  It is an attitude.

By putting need and greed together, it seems to say that anything above “need” falls into the category of “greed.” So that if you have more than what someone sets as the bare necessity of “need,” you are a greedy person. Remember, greed is actually an attitude of the mind.  It is a heart issue not an amount.

So, let’s separate the two biblically.

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

1Timothy 3:8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

The Working Translation, “A Journey through the Acts and Epistles,” translates the phrase “greedy of filthy lucre” as “avaricious,” which means having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain – Oxford Languages.  God refers to greed as an attitude.

Therefore, need is an amount, so to speak, whereas greed is an attitude of the heart. You might say it is an attitude of covetousness.

God makes no promise to supply greed – your over-desire for wealth or material gain.  That would make sense.

But because we see greed as an amount above and beyond need, then the questions begin. Notice, all of the following questions have to do with amounts and not attitudes.

Do you really need a three-bedroom home; could you get by with a two-bedroom home?     In other words, is a three-bedroom home greed or a need?

Perhaps you don’t need a house at all, but could you suffice with an apartment? Maybe owning a home is greedy?

So, do you need a three-bedroom apartment? Could you not put the kids in bunk beds and get along with two bedrooms?

Could you choose an apartment in a cheaper part of town to live in? Do you really “need” that? On and on and on.

Do you really need two cars? ….  You could both take the bus.

Do you really need that many clothes if you washed more often?

If you compare yourself with Christians that live in third world countries, then you could think about this:  Some live in mud huts, and you can’t do with an apartment and think you need a house—with how many bedrooms?  And look at the size of that kitchen!!

Maybe the homeless who live on the side of the road in a tent are the ones without greed and are truly walking with God!

There is no end to this kind of questioning. You could literally pare yourself down to living in a cave with only a loincloth.

This is because we associate greed with an amount rather than an attitude of an over-desire for money – wealth – affluence, etc.

My wife was once riding with a group of Christians through an expensive neighborhood.  The houses were probably in the range of $7-800,000 twenty years ago.  Someone in the car said: “That has to be nothing but pure greed to live in a house like that.” Really?

If it is greed to own an $800,000 home, is $500,000 OK? $200,000?  Where is the line drawn? Who gets to decide whether a certain purchase or item is greed or need? There is no answer to this line of thinking.

“Greedy” people are generally ones that have more than you do because people generally associate greed with an amount not an attitude. God has not called us to decide whether our brothers and sisters are greedy.  We could just be thankful that God has blessed them so much.  In the case of the $800.000 house, many people earned a good living building the house and more are provided with some income in taking care of it. Be thankful!

It is possible that those that have more are better stewards of what God gave them!!

Consider this: once you have done what God says to do according to His Word as regards to giving and saving, then the rest is yours to do with as you please.  You have done your duty, so to speak.  Then if you want to build an $800,000 house, go for it.  Remember, Solomon in the Old Testament?  God gave him great wisdom and riches. The Bible says that in Solomon’s days, gold and silver were as plentiful as stones in Jerusalem.

Apparently, he did not save ALL the riches God gave him. He was not like the king sitting in his counting-house counting all his money! He built many great works and paid the craftsmen and prospered them in the process as well.  So, by believing the promises of God and prospering, we could help to prosper those around us.

Let’s look at some of the great men in the Old Testament who walked with God, but first this:

Romans 15:4 Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. Those things were written so that we could have hope. That hope comes from the patience and encouragement that the Scriptures give us. (ERV)

God, our Father, had these records written down to teach us about Himself.  What He is like. What He is willing to do to bless the lives of those who love Him with all their heart. In the case of the men we are about to read about, pay attention to the idea of where their wealth came from.

Job 1:3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

Job 42:12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

Job 42:15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

You must ask yourself a question.  Did he “need” six thousand camels? You can only ride one at a time.  God gave them to him. How does “need” vs “greed” fit with this record?  Greed is not an amount.  It is an attitude.  When you read the record of Job and these other men that follow here, you will see that they loved God with all their heart.  God came first and because of their love for Him, God blessed their lives.

If you believe that greed is an amount, instead of opening your hands to receive the blessing of God which you may consider greed, you really have your hands closed and are not able to receive.  You have closed off the blessings of God by your misunderstanding – by your believing.

Genesis 24:34-35 And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.

Genesis 14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

Does anyone really “need” a personal army of 318 trained servants?  If you could count their wives and children and servants not born in his house that would be a great number of people that Abraham was responsible to feed and care for each day.  Perhaps a thousand?  Did he “need” that many people?

Could he not walk with God living in a cave with a loincloth, just him and his wife and kids?  Apparently, because he loved God, God wanted to bless his life and He did. Abraham received the blessings of God like the dry earth is open to receive the rain.

Genesis 26:12-14 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

Here Isaac was so blessed a nation envied him! These men were servants and not sons born again of God’s spirit.  We are sons and daughters of this great God that blessed Isaac.  Is God looking to bless your life? As one of my friends said, “We only allow in our lives what we think we are worthy of.  Accept His abundance.” Open your hands!

2 Chronicles 32:27-29 And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels; Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks. Moreover, he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance: for God had given him substance very much.

Was all this abundance greed on Hezekiah’s part or was this all the blessing of God?  God said of Hezekiah that Hezekiah trusted God greatly.

2 Chronicles 17:1-5 And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel. And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken. And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance.

God is showing us what he is willing and able to do for those of His children who trust Him and keep Him first in their lives.  He is willing to open the windows of heaven and bless us exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think.

There is another great record in the book of 2 Kings that we ought to consider.  This is about a woman with no name in contrast with the great men we have been reading about.

2Kings 4:1-7 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

What was the woman’s real need?  To be able to pay the creditor so her sons were not sold into slavery.  Did God provide her with just enough or did he do exceedingly abundantly above all she thought to ask for?  God is good all the time and will bless those that love him with all their heart. Selah

What do you really need?

Enough substance to provide:

Your family’s daily needs
A retirement for you and your wife
To be able to give to the church and to him that needeth and to every good work
Replacement funds for things that wear out like clothes, cars, etc.
An emergency fund for slow economic times or times of disaster
An inheritance for your children’s children.  Remember Job and the inheritance he gave his children?

You might want to sit down with a calculator and some numbers and see how much that would be on a weekly basis that you would need to provide for all those things.

That is a lot more than a loincloth in a cave! Sometimes, what you need is a better-paying job. Some may need to send their children to a private school.  As I heard someone say, “You need to get your needs up!” Your needs should be on par with the promises of God’s Word. You may need to get some more education so you can bring more value to the marketplace. We are paid for the value we bring to the market.

Greed is an attitude, not an amount.

Greed doesn’t have anything to do with wealth. A person could be as destitute as Job but have their heart in the wrong place by having an over desire for wealth. But as the above men did, you could love God with all your heart, keep God first in your life, and be blessed with great wealth that comes from God.

God will supply our needs, and His Word says He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

If your attitude is an over desire for money or material things, greed, you will never be satisfied with what you have.

If your attitude is to love God first and foremost while being content with what you have and striving to steward it properly and see it grow, you will see wonderful things.

Learning is an exciting adventure and is part of The Prosperous Life.

Many things in life are easy to do, and just as easy not to do.

•    Put your change in a jar.
•    Keep a thankful journal that you write in each evening.
•    Make a list of Godly attributes that you want to include in your life philosophy and review it every day.
•    Tape a verse about something you want to acquire in your life to your bathroom mirror, and repeat it emphatically to yourself each day.

Easy to do, just as easy not to do.

But the long-term effects are staggering. Money is easy to see and count, but the long-term effects are the same, whether it is money or thoughts.

When a thought is brought to mind daily or several times a day, some call that compounding. You could also use a mental image, which some say is more effective. Compounding is where one thing is added in on top of another, on top of another, on top of another, or two things are added together to expand your understanding.  In the latter case, you would have thoughts on the same subject, a verse maybe, repeated over and over for months or years. That is a form of compounding.  In other words, one thought is added on top of the last, and then again and again. This could give you a great increase in understanding and in believing that verse was true for you.

Compounding with savings is the same.  If you saved $35.00/wk you would be compounding your savings each week.  $35.00 + $35.00 +$35.00. Compounding!  $35.00/week is $1,820.00/year.  In the beginning, whether it is words or money, it does not seem like much. You don’t see much in the way of results immediately.  Over time, the results of what you are doing become apparent.

Easy to do, just as easy not to do

One author, Jeff Olsen, called this The Slight Edge.  It is the difference between the wise described in Proverbs and the unwise.  It is slight, but down the road the results can be incredible.

For instance: If you went over your savings and funding accounts once a week to find holes or to fine-tune your financial engine, that would be wise.  It is like correcting your steering while driving a car. Small adjustments.

Easy to do, just as easy not to do

Life is not set up for gigantic changes from one day into the next. Life is not set up on one roll of the dice.  Someone once said that the wealthy were winners at the roulette table of life. In other words, the wealthy had just been lucky. Sometimes, that may be the case, but that is not the way God designed life. Chance and gambling are very difficult to duplicate. Once the money gained this way is gone, it is just gone. This wisdom of knowing how God set life up to be lived is far more profitable than winning the lottery, winning at the roulette table, or getting a professional sports contract. You cannot easily duplicate those things, but the wisdom gained by believing and doing what God says in His word is priceless and can be done over and over.

Proverbs 3:13-15  Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.  For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.

In this way, if you lost all your money, you know the principles of prosperity, and you can do it over again. This is why wisdom is more precious than rubies. It is slower than winning at the roulette table but far more predictable. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare: slow and methodical is always better. I think we have already read that those hasty to be wealthy are not wise.

Proverbs 21:5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

Galatians 6:7-9  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

In sowing, you plant what you would normally eat in order to reap a much greater harvest. This requires patience.  Jesus sowed the Word in people’s lives, and at the end of his life, it appeared that he was not too successful.  At his death, all men left him, and Peter denied he knew Jesus. Yet a couple of months later, Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached, and about 3000 people got born again. It takes a while for the seed to grow. The same is true with your finances.  You will always reap more than you sow. This sowing is in the area of giving, and you also sow to your savings.  If you give or save sparingly, you will also reap sparingly. This principle of sowing and reaping is true in many areas of life.

That is the danger in bitterness, but it is also the blessing of forgiveness.

Doing wise things over a long, long period of time produces amazing results, whether in relationships, finance, business, or in your walk with God. The problem with most of us is that we “get tired” of the journey. Halfway through this journey, it looks like nothing is happening, and we become discouraged, disillusioned, and give up. However, what compounding teaches us is that a tomorrow that is built on what we learned yesterday or saved yesterday can grow and become something amazing. This is why the “little things matter” so much IF we don’t quit. As you come to grasp this truth, you begin to realize that the best is NOT behind, but ahead in this life AND in the next.

In order to get big results, we must do the little things. Things that are

Easy to do, just as easy not to do.

When it comes to compounding, think about this:
“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” Ben Franklin

Another example of compounding is a flywheel. If you have ever messed with a flywheel, you know that it takes some effort to get it spinning. If you keep pushing on it, it would be the same amount of energy added in with each push — compounding. Once it is spinning, it only takes a small amount of additional effort to keep it going, and it will run on its own for a long time.

The following is an example of starting with an insignificant amount of money, a penny, and doubling the amount you have every day for 30 days.  If you will notice by day 15, halfway thru the month, we only have $163.84. Not much progress. Notice what happens in the last 15 days, though. It ends at $5.3 million.  This is what compounding is about.  It seems so small in the beginning, but it continues to build over time. Remember, this is just an illustration, not a prediction of your finances!

Day 1: $.01
Day 2: $.02
Day 3: $.04
Day 4: $.08
Day 5: $.16
Day 6: $.32
Day 7: $.64
Day 8: $1.28
Day 9: $2.56
Day 10: $5.12
Day 11: $10.24
Day 12: $20.48
Day 13: $40.96
Day 14: $81.92
Day 15: $163.84
Day 16: $327.68
Day 17: $655.36
Day 18: $1,310.72
Day 19: $2,621.44
Day 20: $5,242.88
Day 21: $10,485.76
Day 22: $20,971.52
Day 23: $41,943.04
Day 24: $83,886.08
Day 25: $167,772.16
Day 26: $335,544.32
Day 27: $671,088.64
Day 28: $1,342,177.28
Day 29: $2,684,354.56
Day 30: $5,368,709.12

With many things in life, the choices seem like they don’t matter that much. In the beginning, there seems to be no difference. They are just choices. The choice

•    To save $35.00 or go out to eat
•    To go to your first fellowship or stay home, like your buddy. (In the end, one choice could lead to eternal life and one not!)
•    To marry one person or another
•    To have one job or another or be self-employed
•    To forgive or to be bitter
•    To go to another meeting where someone is teaching the Word of God.
•    To read a certain book or not.

The meeting you miss or the book you pass on reading may hold the key to your better life.  Better to miss a meal than miss a book or a teaching, because you just don’t know what you will learn. In that book or meeting, you may hear or read that one thing that puts you over the top.

These are just choices, but down the road, the results may be huge, compared to what seemed to be a small choice.

Romans 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

As with finances, this renewing of your mind is a slow process, but as time travels on, it will become apparent what has been going on inside your head and heart. It is a daily process. Remember the expression “an apple a day”?  You don’t get the same effect if you eat seven apples on Saturday night!  The greatest effect comes from compounding daily.

Easy to do, just as easy not to do.

Deuteronomy 11:18  Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

Proverbs 6:21-23  Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.  When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.  For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

We can choose to burn into our brains the things from God’s Word that will light our paths.  Thus, they become part of our philosophy, a way to conduct our lives.

So take the instructions in God’s Word on finances, and put them in your heart.  They are great wisdom, and there are some great promises, too.  Ask God to teach you what you need to know for your life in relation to these things. And remember, it’s…

Easy to do, just as easy not to do.