Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him. (2Kings 5:20 ESV)

greedy manGreed and Christianity are two words that just don’t go together. While the people in the world may justify greed as being good, to us in the kingdom of God, it is an aberration. Greed – the inordinate desire to acquire material possessions - is deadly; it’s a bait that terminates ministry, invokes curses and ultimately brings death. A brief look into the life of Gehazi reveals three amazing reasons why the children of God must never indulge in any act of greediness.

Greed terminated Gehazi’s ministry

2Kings 5:1-27 is the story of Naaman, the Syrian leper who received healing through Elisha, the prophet of God. After receiving his healing, the Syrian brought gifts to Elisha to say thank you for the amazing miracle he has received but the man of God refused ( 2Kings 5:15 -16 ). Surprisingly, Elisha’s greedy servant, Gehazi, without the knowledge of his master ran after Naaman to take the bounty that his master rejected (2Kings 5:20). He overlooked the plan of God for his life and ministry to satisfy his greedy appetite. He never knew that he was not deceiving his master but was indirectly terminating his ministry.

Greed caused Gehazi to lie

Having decided in his heart to take the gift his master rejected, Gehazi, not knowing what to say so as to get what he wanted lied to the Syrian; he said his master has sent him to get some of the bounty he had earlier rejected (2Kings 5: 21-22). As the scripture says, lie is not of God but of the devil. Inordinate desire for material wealth and possessions may not only push you into all kinds of evil but may ultimately lead to death.

Greed brought curses upon Gehazi.

The Holy Spirit had revealed to Elisha what Gehazi had done. Yet when asked, Gehazi lied the second time (2Kings 5:25-26); this time around to the Holy Spirit. Any sin against Holy Spirit is not forgiven (Matthew 12:32), therefore he received the ultimate price from the Spirit filled man of God – Elisha cursed him and his Children (2Kings 5:27). Beware! Greedy gains may not only bring curse upon you but also upon your generation. Remember that similar thing happened to Achan (Joshua 7:24) and both him and his household paid the price with death sentence. Beware!

Salvation first

The first step towards overcoming greed and other baits of the devil is surrendering your life to Christ. You cannot overcome the devil without Jesus Christ by your side. To surrender your life to Christ is easy; all you need do is repent from all sins and pray a simple prayer of salvation. You can do that right away by praying this simple prayer.
 
Please beware of greed. God bless you.
 


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