On Sunday, we spoke about money and how giving is a mirror to your soul. Larry F. sent me this link and I thought it was a fantastic way to examine my life. Consider what you truly love, God or money?
About Dan Miller
Pastor Dan was part of the core group that started Grace Fellowship in 2003. Pastor Dan is our primary teaching pastor, leads the staff, and oversees the vision and strategy for our disciplemaking philosophy of ministry. Dan married Vicki in 1993. Together, they enjoy their seven children – Benjamin (married to Courtney), David, Alexa, Zachary (married to Ginna), Nathan, Ana, and Autumn, along with one grandchild - Lucy.
Wow! I had the kids watch this as a part of our family devotional time this morning. Thanks for sharing this Larry (and Dan). We had a great talk afterward. What a unique concept to expose greed. It reminds me of how the Law exposes our sin. It’s scary; we sit back in the comfort of our home and look at those being interviewed. As they are exposing their greedy heart, there is pity of course, but would I want the camera turned on me? How convicting! I wonder how many people would do it for only a dollar a person. It’s still greed, still the same motive.
What a great God we have! He is so worthy!
Very telling. This video and its related sermon combined with the challenge of “if you aren’t sharing the Gospel then ask yourself why” from this past Sunday has stirred conviction and some out of the box ideas in my own life. Now I just need to actually move on them.
Sorry, but I have to disagree just a little on this. First, I am right there with that guy as I would have been much more motivated to get money than just to do it for God’s glory. If you just gasped when reading this, then I was successful, but please read on. I would have also been more motivated if they offered me a coupon for a free meal at Baba’s, so does that then automatically make me a glutton?
I don’t necessarily believe that this exposes our evil greedy hearts, but instead exposes the lack of value we place on our willingness to share Christ with others (or our relationship with Christ in general) in balance of the things we need to physically survive such as money and food.
That guy on the video was not driving a Porsche and was a college student, so some maybe money was very important to him to maybe even but some dinner with that night. Is that greed, or just survival? Even so, the idea of taking anything for sharing Christ makes me cringe just a little.
Yes this clearly demonstrates how we are more concerned with the things of this life than the things of heaven. But I do not believe it demonstrates greed for money in this case.
Now if I were that guy in the video, I probably would have given the money back since though I would be more “motivated” to witness to others for money, it would make the gesture unseemly and empty. Though the actual witness for Christ was a good thing, for me the idea of it too much parallels Judas and selling out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
We should want to be “sold out for Jesus” out of love for Him and not nothing else.
That is a goal, though I think if most of us were honest, we would think about telling others more about Christ instant gratification were involved in some form. Sad but true!
Thanks Dan for such a great and very practical topic that is very welcome to see on here!
CA, doesn’t being motivated by personal gain (the things of this world — money, convenience, praise from men, whatever) boil down to greed and pride? Change the offer to 100 days in prison and what do you think the response would be?
I believe that selfishness/thoughtlessness and greed are different things completely. One is caring more about your own basic needs over others, and greed is the desire for more and more of those needs that you really don’t need to begin with.
The first (selfishness) could come from a legitimate need such as having no money, or having no food.
Definition of Selfish from Answers.com…”Concerned chiefly or only with oneself”
The second would be the desire to hoard the money or the food.
Definition of greed from Answers.com….”An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth”
Selfishness can definitely turn into greed, but it is not always greed.
So the willingness to take money to tell others about Christ is not necessarily greed IMO, but a demonstration of the value we place on material things and money, even basic necessities of life, over the importance of telling the gospel to others. Because we care more about one or the other is not greed.
We are selfish, thoughtless, and even ashamed of the gospel of Christ when it comes to telling others in this country. Present company included. The willingness to do this for money or any other thing like a free meal, only exposes and demonstrates that fact.