More Money !!

 Good morning.

 If you live in the Wichita area, you’ve probably seen the billboard signs advertising a certain injury lawyer firm.  The sign says, in huge letters, MORE MONEY  MORE MONEY  MORE MONEY.  The attorneys are smiling to the side of the letters, and the message is obvious.  If you are injured and want the most money from a lawsuit, contact this law firm.  I will tell you that if I did need an injury lawyer for some reason, I would not contact this law firm, because they are, whether they know it or not, banking on a person’s greed to get business.

I’m not naïve.  I realize that much of the advertising you see or hear is geared to one or more desires that when seen from a Biblical perspective is not always a positive desire.  Some of those desires might be desire for physical comfort and convenience, looking attractive to others, having a one-up on one’s neighbor by having a nicer car, house, furniture, etc. (that’s called pride, by the way), sexual attractiveness, having the latest and greatest of some item, ability to boast or brag about an experience, a trip, or whatever to others, and I’m sure you can think of other things in this area of life and living in today’s world.

This particular advertisement is, I believe, rather blatant in catering to a desire for more wealth.  Yes, if someone is wronged in a vehicle accident, it needs to be made right as much as possible.  But this ad seems to go beyond that and into the area of greed, in my opinion.

Think also about other advertisements you see and hear.  Sometimes, it is more of a necessity to have, for example, a larger vehicle due to work requirements or some other rational reason.  Sometimes it is more of a necessity to be nicely dressed for some occasion.  I get that.  But there is, I think all too often the outright pandering to our more base desires in a way that is not beneficial…is not loving…is not in the way of right living and doing.

Jesus had something to say about money and greed.  Mark chapter 7 is a classic example.  “What comes out of a person is what defiles them.  For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Another example is from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6.  “No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.”

I don’t know if the legal firm that pays for these advertisements is letting money take over their lives or not.  Nor do I know with certainty that they are intentionally appealing to the greed of the average individual in their quest for business.  However, I do know that seeing these kinds of things tends to bring out the desire for more…greed, if you will…that is naturally within us all.

Please be careful as you continue to navigate this thing called life and living.  It is so easy to allow something like greed to infiltrate your thoughts…and in ways that you don’t even realize is happening.  Be aware of outside influences on your thoughts and actions.  Remember that the fruit of the Spirit of God is the polar opposite of these kinds of thoughts and actions.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and gentleness.  Those are the things we should be desiring…not those things that the advertisement “more money, more money, more money” tend to bring about.

Thanks for listening, and blessings.