presents
the "Let's Talk About" series
presents
Let's talk about BEING GREEDY.
The Bible says: "A greedy man brings trouble to his family." (Proverbs 15:27a)
Sometimes you need to share something with other people.
It is important to be fair whenever you share. Sharing is fair when every person takes his or her fair share.
A fair share is the part of something that a person deserves to have.
Sometimes having a fair share means each person takes the same amount.
Sometimes a fair share is something that a person really needs. Sometimes a fair share is something that a person has worked for and has earned.
Whenever people try to take more than their fair share, they are being greedy.
Sometimes people are greedy because they are always dissatisfied. They are not happy with what they have. They always want more.
Sometimes people are greedy because they are self-centered. They care much more about themselves than they care about other people.
Sometimes people are greedy because they feel superior:
They feel that they are better than others. They feel that because they are better, they deserve to have more than other people have.
Sometimes people are greedy because they are not fair.
They do not care whether or not other people have a fair share.
It is not fun to be around people who
are always dissatisfied,
are self-centered,
feel superior, or
are not fair.
Thus, most people do not like to be around greedy people.
Because no one wants to be around greedy people, greedy people are often unhappy.
If you want to be happy and you want the people around you to be happy, you will avoid being greedy.
Try not to be greedy. When you need to share, do these things:
Realize that every person deserves a fair share.
Decide what everyone's fair share will be before you share something.
Let the people with whom you share things help decide what everyone's fair share should be.
Ask an adult to help you if you and your friends have a difficult time deciding what everyone's fair share should be.
Give other people their fair share before you take yours.
Be satisfied with your fair share.
Do not try to take more.
Do not complain about what you get.
It is important to treat other people the way you want to be treated. If you do not want people to be greedy, you should not be greedy.
A Bible character who was GREEDY
Many years ago, a man named Elisha was God's messenger and servant. One day an army commander called Naaman came to Elisha asking him to heal him of his terrible disease called leprosy. Through God's power, Elisha healed Naaman who then wanted to give some big gifts to Elisha. But Elisha refused to accept any gifts and Naaman headed off for his home.
However, Elisha had a servant whose name was Gehazi. When he heard what Naaman had offered he was greedy to have these gifts for himself. So he ran after Naaman and when he caught up to him he made up a story about Elisha changing his mind. So Naaman gladly gave Gehazi a lot of money and new clothes.
Gehazi smuggled this loot back home and hid them. But Elisha knew what his greedy servant had done, and told him, "Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever." And immediately, the terrible disease appeared all over Gehazi's body.
When Gehazi ran after Naaman that day, greedy to get his gifts, he had no idea that he would get a terrible disease instead.
The Bible says, "Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world." (Colossians 3:5 NLT)
