Poor Greed
Wealthy people can certainly be greedy but there is no greed like poor greed. Many have a love of money and some do not have a single dollar of it. It is a human thing regardless of the country or culture a person is from.
After I had been working in Mexico for a few years, I somehow knew that my financial support was in danger of decreasing. How much, I did not know. I began thinking of ways I could establish myself in the country and survive the coming financial storm. How I knew this, was not something that I even understood. Since housing was our largest budget item, I began thinking of ways we could reduce our rent. One idea that I investigated was to purchase something in order to avoid rent increases.
I was working with a Mexican man who had become a good friend over the years, or so I thought. He knew of my concern over eliminating rent. My sending church in the United States seemed to be for the idea of obtaining property, at first. However, it became apparent after a while that this was not going to happen.
My friend seemed to be interested in my idea of possibly getting a house in Mexico. Finally I had to admit to him that my sending church felt they could not help me get a house. They did not see how it would be financially possible. My friend got a far-off look in his eyes. It was so strange. I had known him for a few years but I had never seen such a bizarre look in his eyes. I slowly realized that he finally understood,
“Brother David is not a multi-billionaire after all!”
I had tried to inform him over the years that many times I had given him the last dollar (or peso) I had in order to help him in a tough spot. When it finally hit him that I had been accurately telling the truth that he was not going to be set up in an upper middle class lifestyle – I never saw him again! (Until the day I left the country for the last time.) I think he was a good friend in a sense. There was just also this other thing (endless hope of financial gain) mixed in that I was ignorant of, perhaps willingly.
[Note: Everything did finally fall apart and I had to leave the country that I planned to minister in for a lifetime. Sad story. I found out that the Devil doesn't love me anymore.]
*
A farmer in Mexico showed some interest in the old van that I used there. He once asked me, “How much did that van cost? A million dollars?” He had no idea of the value of dollars or the price of an old car. People sometimes think things are wonderful on the other side of the fence (or border). It is not just people in poverty. Many of us fall for that idea.
*
A friend of mine was preaching in the Philippines. In his teaching, he made the statement, “Many have the idea that America is Heaven or at least the lobby to it”.
“Yes! Amen!” They all shouted in unison.
My friend realized they misunderstood him. “No, no. I was making a joke!”
“Yes! Amen!”
He realized that he had lost control of the meeting at that point. I guess the grass is always greener somewhere else.
*
As a missionary I worked mainly among the rural poor in Mexico. I was constantly accused of various evils. I was occasionally accused of taking the meager offering for my benefit. (For this reason we always appointed someone from the local people as “treasurer”. We knew he would take the money for himself but at least it could never be us missionaries.) It would cost me hundreds of times more in gasoline to visit the new churches than the few cents that would be in the offering. Even if I did take their money it would be a loss.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1Tim 6:10)
Nothing reveals the human heart like our attitude about money. Whether we have a lot of it or have none of it, we can have the love of it. Money makes manifest and visible an invisible thing, the greed of our hearts. For this reason Jesus spoke so much about money. Wherever we place our wallets, there our heart will be found (Matt 6:21, Luke 12:34).
Mar. 10, 2024