There Are All Kinds of Greed
Billy Graham described his close friend and colleague Harry Denman as “one of the great mentors for evangelism.” We, in the United Methodist Church, must agree with Billy Graham. We give the Denman evangelism award every year to a Virginia pastor who does a great job of evangelism. Harry Denman was known for his passion to see people saved, and for living and teaching a life of simplicity. He owned very little, generally one pair of shoes, for example, and often gave away things he received to the poor. Once, when he wandered into a department store, the owner recognized him and offered him a tie. “No thank you,” Harry responded. “I already have one!”
We live in a world where someone right now is planning a way to get you to buy more. I have friends who tell me they can’t watch QVC because they will order something every time. I have a friend who buys so many clothes she had an entire bedroom for a closet. Credit cards are both good and evil. Some people spend money they don’t have simply because they have a credit card and can get what they want, never thinking about how much it costs or how they will pay the bill. These marketing minds start us at “no interest” and end up at 27%. They’re shameless, diligent, crafty, and very good.
While we are all consumers, we don’t have to worship in the temple of consumerism. Our lives are not summed up by what we own, but rather by whom we are owned. Harry Denman and Jesus lived with very few possessions, trusting that God would provide for their needs. We can start tithing to the church and working to make the mission of the church a success. We can buy food for a starving neighbor or provide clothing for a school child. We can volunteer in our church when they feed the hungry.
The question is what do I need versus what do I want? We need to follow the example of Jesus as we live in this world!
