Have you ever had that feeling? Maybe you got it from that church conference that you just got back from. Maybe you got it from watching NAB videos on YouTube. Maybe you went to a local polka fest and you got it there. OK, maybe that one isn't very likely, but I am sure you got it somewhere. It is called “tech greed.”
You know that “gotta have it” feeling? If you are anything like me you probably get it quite often. Maybe it's the latest 4k video camera, a digital mixing board, or the latest iteration of your favorite cell phone. You just gotta have it.
As a member of the technologically elite you almost feel that you owe it to society to get the “latest and greatest” even if it means refinancing your house so that you can buy a beta pair of glasses made by a search engine company. This is tech envy. The Bible just calls it greed.
Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Greed is rooted in selfishness and can cause us to do all kinds of crazy things. Just take a trip to Vegas and watch the “slot-machine zombies” greedily hoping that the next pull of the lever will win it all.
Do you ever fall into greed? Do you feel the need to wait in long lines to get the latest iGadget just so that you feel like you are ahead of everyone else?
I was recently visiting a church and happened to look at their sound mixer and out of nowhere I felt greed and jealousy rising up inside me. I am in the process of spec'ing a system for a new church plant and I began feeling like I had to have a sound board like their's, even though the cost of their sound board is pretty much our entire launch budget! I found myself feeling inadequate because of a piece of technology.
1 Peter 2:1 So get rid of all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
In 1 Peter it tells us to get rid of all envy. What this means is that we have to be willing to not let out flesh and greedy desires rule. We need to give those desires to God, take a deep breath, and just walk away.
God wants us to be satisfied and content in Him. He doesn't want us to be caught up in a never-ending chase of the latest and greatest. The Apostle Paul said it well when he said that he had learned how to be content with a lot or with a little.
The irony of this whole thing is that the person or ministry that you are envious of may likely be envious of someone else and then there may also be someone else that is envious of what you have.
It is time to break the grip of “tech greed” in your life. Let wisdom and discernment rule. Don't spend all of your time and energy chasing after something that will only bring you a fleeting sense of fulfillment.
