THE ART OF LEADERSHIP
Can you imagine what a leader would be like if he was totally overcome by greed? Can you imagine greed as the motive for the actions of the people around you? Greed is defined as the excessive desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves. To be greedy is to be covetous! Greed is, indeed, a negative trait that every leader ought to fight and overcome.
What a leader must know about greed
- Greed can lead to violence in a leader’s life. “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).
Remember that to be greedy is to be covetous! Greedy people are so full of a desire for more. This desire, which is covetousness, drives them. This great desire for more can set someone on a journey on which he is ready to kill and steal to satisfy it. I have met Christians who are so greedy for money that they looked as though they were ready to kill to have more money. May that never be your story!
- Greed is a negative characteristic that shortens a leader’s life.
The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but HE THAT HATETH COVETOUSNESS SHALL PROLONG HIS DAYS.
Proverbs 28:16
The Bible says that you can prolong your days if you hate covetousness. This means that you can shorten your days if you love covetousness. Meanwhile greed is directly fueled by covetousness! You will notice that most films depict greedy people struggling to get more money for themselves and ending their lives in the process. Greed will get you into many difficult situations which can shorten your life.
- Greed leads to discontentment in a leader.
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 tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.
Isaiah 56:11-12
You are greedy when you can never have enough. It is a direct reflection of a discontented person. A discontentment person does not ever think he has enough. Be careful, my friend! May you be content with such things as ye have so that you do not become a victim “can never have enough”!
- Greed can lead to the loss of your life. Notice how the Scripture warns that greed can take away the life of its owner. In the story below, the greedy old man lost his life because he wanted more even though his life was in danger.
So are the ways of everyone that is GREEDY OF GAIN; WHICH TAKETH AWAY THE LIFE OF THE OWNERS THEREOF.
Proverbs 1:19
The Story of 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 all the 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, for 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 the owners thereof.
Greed can cause you to lose your life! Greed is an endless desire for more! More! More! The undisciplined pursuit of more is the cause of the downfall of many greedy people. Dear leader, do not become a victim of greed! Do not allow greed to bring you down! Do not allow greed to destroy your life!
theaol@ymail.com
By Dag Heward-Mills