Luke 12:15

15          But He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consistent of his possessions.”

You Have Heard It Said

Exodus 20:17                “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Coveting describes an intense desire to want something that someone else has and a passion to obtain it through any way possible. The different things listed in the original command surrounded every part of life from the basics of living, social status, wealth, and religious status. Jesus reminds us that there is no use for possessions, and the obsession over them can be determined as a form of greed.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How do you see greed happening in your everyday life?

Hoarding and Giving Our Wealth

Jesus is addressing the crowd of disciples and those gathered around them. Greed was often linked to idolatry and moving away from relying on God. Greed can show up in various ways, not just an accumulation of wealth. In the cultural and historical context of this time, wealth was viewed as a sign of God’s favor. Jesus redefines the focus of life – moreso spiritual richness and less focus of material wealth.

When we investigate material wealth, this is an all-encompassing term. It describes earning, saving, paying down debt, owning assets and more. People earn income through a job or career and keep a portion instead of spending it all. People save consistently so cash reserves grow over time but is happening not as much nowadays due to the increased cost of living. People pay down their existing debts so their net worth can improve. People invest in retirement funds and stocks to save for their future, which is a luxury today. People buy a home to obtain an asset for their wealth. People participate in side-gigs, which is a very current trend nowadays.

All these things are how people can manage their wealth, and they are more common than I think we tend to realize. The biblical mindset of wealth is to understand how we can steward them properly. We need to understand stronger ways to hold enough to meet our needs, create a stable life for us and our families, and serve others. When we sway the scale to focus more on ourselves, we become wealth hoarders, greedy, and selfish.

What does it mean to hoard wealth? A general understanding is that when money is hidden, feared, and not used for good. When it starts to own you more than you give it. It made me question, “How do I know if I hoard wealth?” What makes sense to me as saving my wealth could be viewed as selfish or conceited to others. Saving or planning is not sinful, but it’s when we make our security of life dependent on money and money alone. There are five ways I want to dig into that could be considered signs that you are hoarding wealth:

There’s no plan for it. No giving. No purpose. Your wealth sits idle with no clear goal and no plan to give some of it away. There’s no explanation for why you are keeping it either. Some people may hold it out of fear of the economy, and given the circumstances of the world currently, it’s a valid concern. There is the mindset of: “Well, God didn’t give us the spirit of fear,” and that’s true, but it’s also recognizing what is rational and irrational fear, and the more we tend to investigate this question, the more we can find peace, and the stronger we may be lead to give.

Fear-driven paralysis. There can be intense anxiety about spending, even for our basic needs, or about losing money. This can be true panic instead of caution. You might avoid conversations about money, hide bank accounts, or keep cash hidden in ways that show you do not trust banks, loved ones, or different institutions. Like I mentioned, we can adopt a fear driven mindset. We see different trends and conspiracies on social media and buy into them to create ourselves a fear-filled mindset.

No generosity or relational use. You may not be willing to help others financially (family, friends, neighbors, churches, charities, mutual aid opportunities, and more) even when it shows that you can clearly and rationally do so. You may be turning down opportunities to help because it’s inconvenient for you, they didn’t ask you “properly”, or they caught you on a bad day. Whatever it means – not helping others like this shows a struggle in attempting to love others as God loves us.

Disorganized or invisible wealth. You may have many financial or wealth-building accounts, piles of paperwork, uncashed checks, or investments that you have forgotten about that you cannot track. To hoard this amount of information shows that you cannot emotionally trust the process. You are trying to manage and maintain control and stability in a market that is emotionally unstable by default.

Wealth actively harms others or the community. Basically, you use your wealth in low-impact tax-avoidant ways that don’t help the economy or workers, regardless of if others are struggling. These resources could be jobs, housing, and relief that kept purely for selfish reasons. Think of the many cases that we hear politicians and businesspeople that have held COVID relief funds for personal use.

A lot of these reasons focus on the fear of our future and trying to control the things that we cannot see. Both things that Christians are called to give to God so that we can stay focused in the present and His presence and do what He has created and called us to do. So how do we utilize our wealth in a way that honors God? How can we move away from hoarding wealth and towards healthy stewardship?

The first way, and I’m sure some of you were expecting this, is tithing. It’s a way to honor God with the first portion of your income. Before any bills or any expenses come away from your income, give to God the first portion of your income. Certain preachers and leaders will say to give the first 10% (tithe = tenth), but I believe this conversation needs to keep it focused on giving to God altogether and to give what you can rationally. Next, live below your means. “But Marc, I’m already struggling, what’s below that?” I am fully aware there’s a struggle for people getting by and through what they have already. Living below your means is not about adding shame-based simplicity, but it’s about aligning your spending with your values and God’s design. This is going to be where I encourage you to live a simple life. To not stress about the brand names or anything like that, but to focus on getting the basics you need to survive and thrive as best as possible. You can also invest in people and community. Give regularly to outreach ministries, churches, and organizations that honestly, rationally, and ethically help people and meet their respective needs. Use your resources to help your neighbors – food, utilities, transportation, medications, loans, and everything in-between – so that resources can circulate throughout your communities. Also, run your jobs, side gigs, and small businesses in a way that cares for both your workers and customers through fair wages, fair prices for your products and services, and that creates a culture of respect and dignity. Reinvest your profits to create more job opportunities for others, improve your systems to add quality and simplicity, and give to local projects when possible so that you can give to the community as you have been given to. The biggest thing, personally, that I think can help is teaching and modeling stewardship. Have open conversations about money, budgeting, giving, simplicity. Wealth should never be a secret taboo topic, but a way that we can help all people survive and thrive to the best of their abilities. Discussions can also show us how we can help others and contribute to their success when and if possible.

At the end of the day, healthy stewardship means that we recognize that God owns all of it. When we live within our means, give generously, and use our money and resources to bless others and advance God’s plan for the world, we use our wealth to truly serves others.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: I shared a lot about what wealth is, how we tend to hoard it, and how we can share it. What is most impactful for you in this season? What can you take away and implement in your life today?

Sources:

• https://economictimes.com/wealth/save/8-signs-that-tell-whether-you-are-saving-money-or-hoarding-it/articleshow/62578074.cms
• https://eddyandschein.com/are-you-a-financial-hoarder/
• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-most-popular-ways-people-174808643.html
• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/7-everyday-habits-people-raise-141705088.html
• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/7-key-signs-wasting-wealth-180027710.html
• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/average-american-net-worth-620-121500111.html
• https://learn.ligonier.org/guides/money-and-stewardship
• https://newrepublic.com/article/195862/billionaire-hoarders-wealthy-biggest-threat
• https://paulgraham.com/wealth.html
• https://secure.aadmm.com/money-matters/are-you-a-financial-hoarder/
• https://thesignatry.com/blog/7-ways-christians-should-use-wealth/
• https://www.christianstewardshipnetwork.com/blog/2020/5/28/the-purpose-of-wealth
• https://www.christianstewardshipnetwork.com/blog/2023/6/22/biblical-financial-principles-and-5-practical-steps-to-live-by-them
• https://www.crosswalk.com/family/finances/5-ways-christians-should-view-and-use-money.html
• https://www.crown.org/all-resources/six-best-practices-for-good-stewards/
• https://www.dbu.edu/blog/stewardship-101-applying-biblical-principles-college-finances.html
• https://www.equip.org/articles/wealth-stewardship-key-biblical-principles/
• https://www.excessivewealth.org/excessive-wealth-disorder
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/354685189148420/posts/597552851528318/
• https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/smart-money/average-net-worth-by-age
• https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/kingdom-stewardship-gods-plan-for-your-money/
• https://www.getevolved.com/3-practical-ways-to-accumulate-wealth-fast/
• https://www.guardianlife.com/investments/how-to-build-wealth
• https://www.guidestone.org/Resources/Education/Articles/Retirement/4-Biblical-Foundations-of-Financial-Stewardship
• https://www.hughculver.com/blog/3-daily-rituals-will-make-rich
• https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/building-wealth-over-time
• https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/what-is-financial-hoarding-and-how-to-fix-it
• https://www.liberty.edu/business/simply-money/4-principles-of-stewardship/
• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/8-signs-tell-whether-you-saving-money-hoarding-nithin-bathija
• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/danger-covetousness-reflection-luke-1215-ampc-karl-mckinnie-lion–x9ypc
• https://www.localbank.com/resources-and-community/10-tips-for-money-management-and-building-personal-wealth
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hoarding-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20356056
• https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/how-much-stuff-is-too-much-stuff
• https://www.missionfed.com/learn/10-daily-habits-that-help-you-build-wealth-over-time/
• https://www.navyfederal.org/makingcents/investing/financial-habits-to-build-wealth.html
• https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/average-net-worth-by-age
• https://www.patheos.com/blogs/theologyofworkproject/2015/09/how-to-be-a-rich-christian-3-ways-to-use-wealth/
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mind-of-a-collector/202508/the-psychology-behind-money-hoarding
• https://www.reddit.com/r/CapitalismVSocialism/comments/1aispg7/yes_the_wealthy_are_hoarding_their_wealth_even_if/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/declutter/comments/1p6j3lz/does_anyone_have_a_problem_essentially_hoarding/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/2tz40n/article_11_signs_you_have_hoarding_tendencies/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/comments/9ft01w/how_do_people_actually_build_wealth_how_would_one/
• https://www.shrevebc.com/appliedtheology/10-biblical-principles-for-financial-stewardship-5smmz
• https://www.thelifegroup.org/thegoodsteward/
• https://www.watergapwellness.com/the-top-10-signs-of-hoarding/