My friend Jamie Munson over at Resurgence has posted an excellent article on the difference between two controlling motives in our lives. I wanted to share his table with you here, and encourage you to go read the whole post.
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Gratitude |
Greed |
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Attitude |
Humility (Phil. 2:3) |
Grumbling (Phil. 2:15) |
|
Perspective |
Grace: “I am a sinner who deserves death but Jesus paid the price andgave me his perfect righteousness.” |
Entitlement: “I am a good person who deserves heaven—plus a comfortable, pain-free existence in the meantime.” |
|
Desire |
Jesus is enough to satisfy my life. |
Jesus is not enough. I want wealth / fame / comfort / power as well. |
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Money |
God gives. Therefore my money is his, and I use it to glorify him. |
I earn. Therefore my money is mine, and I use it however I please. |
|
Possessions |
Contentment: I have enough |
Covetous: I never have enough |
|
Church |
Serve as a member of God’s family |
Be served as a consumer |
|
Job |
Work heartily for the Lord; cultivating thanks for God’s provision (Deut. 8:17; Col. 3:23) |
Work begrudgingly for the man; becoming bitter and jealous against others (James 3:16) |
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Family |
A blessing to embrace |
A burden to escape |
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Future |
Eternal: optimistic/hopeful (2 Cor. 4:7–9) |
Temporal: pessimistic/anxious |
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Worship |
Time, energy, and resources go to God |
Time, energy, and resources go to me |
|
Identity |
Jesus and his achievement |
My abilities and my achievements |
|
Giving |
Generous |
Guilt- or gain-motivated (or non-existent) |
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