A Leader Must Avoid Greed

The Art of Leadership

A greedy leader is a discontented covetous person. A discontented and covetous leader has an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than he needs or deserves. This is what makes him a greedy person. A leader must avoid greed!

“For IF THESE THINGS BE IN YOU, AND ABOUND, they make you that YE SHALL NEITHER BE BARREN NOR UNFRUITFUL in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8).

The Scripture above shows us that if you have certain “things” in you, you will not be unproductive. The “things” that make you productive are positive traits like diligence, faith, virtue, temperance etc. In the same way, negative traits which contradict positive traits have the effect of making you unproductive and barren. Negative traits are commonly found in the lives of poor and unsuccessful people. Look carefully at the life of “He that hath not” and you will notice an abundance of negative traits. Let us now look at some negative traits and see how they create and perpetuate poverty.

Four Things A Leader Must Know About Greed

Greed will lead to violence in your life. Greedy people are so full of a desire for more that they are ready to kill and steal to have it. Do not ever become such a person. To take things by violence because of covetousness makes you a wicked person and a dangerous leader.

“And THEY COVET FIELDS, AND TAKE THEM BY VIOLENCE; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage” (Micah 2:2).

I have met people who are so greedy for money that they looked as though they were ready to kill to have more money.

Greed is a trait that shortens your life. Greed will get you into many difficult situations which can shorten your life. Most films depict greedy people struggling to get more money for themselves and ending their lives in misery.

“The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but HE THAT HATETH COVETOUSNESS SHALL PROLONG HIS DAYS”

(Proverbs 28:16).

Greed leads to discontentment. When you are discontent, you are not satisfied with anything. You develop evil eye that always wants more.

“Yea, THEY ARE GREEDY dogs which CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant” (Isaiah 56:11-12).

Greed is a negative personal trait that can lead to the loss of your life. Greed can cause you to lose your life. The undisciplined pursuit of more is the cause of the downfall of many greedy people. Notice how the Scripture warns that greed can take away the life of its owner.

“So are the ways of everyone that is GREEDY OF GAIN; WHICH TAKETH AWAY THE LIFE OF THE OWNERS THEREOF” (Proverbs 1:19).

The Greedy Old Man

There was an old woodcutter who went to the mountain almost every day to cut wood. It was said that this old man was a miser who hoarded his silver until it changed to gold, and that he cared more for gold than anything else in the entire world.

One day, a wilderness tiger sprang at him and though he ran he could not escape from it. The tiger carried him off in its mouth. The woodcutter's son saw his father's danger and ran to save him. He carried a long knife and as he could run faster than the tiger that had a man to carry, he soon overtook them.

His father was not much hurt, for the tiger held him by his clothes. When the old woodcutter saw his son about to stab the tiger he called out in great alarm: “Do not spoil the tiger's skin! Do not spoil the tiger's skin! If you can kill him without cutting holes in his skin we can get many pieces of silver for it. Kill him, but do not cut his body.” While the son was listening to his father's instructions the tiger suddenly dashed off into the forest, carrying the old man where the son could not reach him and he was soon killed.

How sad! The greedy old man paid with his life for wanting more money. He should have thought of his life and not desired to have more. This is how greed takes away the lives of its owners. May you be saved from greed! May you be content with such as you have!

May you not be led by greed! May you be filled with the spirit of contentment!

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By Dag Heward-Mills