SCRIPTURE: Job 20
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
They were always greedy and never satisfied. Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about. Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves. Therefore, their prosperity will not endure. [Job 20:20-21]
Have you ever met a greedy person, one who was never satisfied?
Greed is but one expression of the poison of sin in us.
It is an expression of the emptiness within me that results from the loss of God at the center of my being; in the void, my selfish hearts grasps for things or experiences to satisfy the emptiness.
We all have this tendency, to be selfish, to step on or over others to fill our own desperate longings.
But some people show it more than others… and some people are downright vicious about it.
I heard in the news this week about two men who befriended a older widow, and in the span of 10 years drained her entire savings – this is evil, this is wicked, this is who Zophar is talking about!
May God give them a bellyful of trouble. May God rain down his anger upon them. [Job 20:23]

Jesus would not disagree with what Zophar has to say here, but he would probably apply it further than him.
Zophar is thinking about the wicked people ‘out there’ (not including himself of course), but Jesus would show that we all have this tendency within us, even the most religious!
Jesus also taught: “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.” [Mark 12:38-40]
Being religious is not the antidote to being selfish; many “christians” simply became religiously self-centered looking ‘good’ on the outside but just as greedy and cruel as their neighbour.
You will notice that Jesus has harsher words for those who are religious, who ought to know better.

The bible presents the two extremes of the “righteous” and the “wicked” to show us the two destinations in life – we either lean towards the one or the other.
No person is purely righteous or purely wicked, but they do lean in one of two directions.
By nature, we are born with empty, selfish, greedy hearts; if we followed the natural desires of our hearts, we would be more greedy than generous.
But when God enters our life, He helps us turn things around; He helps us become more generous than greedy.
But we need to partner with Him in this, we need to “put to death” the greedy desires and “bring to life” the impulse for generosity.
If we lean towards selfishness, that is where we end up; if we lean towards generosity, that is where we end up.

And God is not looking for token generosity – occasional acts of benevolence that make us look good, but only cover the inner greedy, selfish heart.
He came to transform us into His likeness, namely, as generous, gracious, self-sacrificing individuals.
For God hates greedy and selfishness; but He loves generosity and selflessness.
Which way am I leaning? Which way will I end up?

PRAYER:
Lord, I sense the propensity towards selfishness in me, and also my resistance to generosity. I want to lean the other way, help me to move towards Your example, to being generous like You!