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Kyama Mugambi, an MBA student, kicked off our 'Taming Your Wallet' Series.  In this fifth and final part, he about what he calls 'the antidote for greed'.
>> Antidote For Greed - Giving
If there is one thing that will make it difficult to truly experience financial freedom, it is an unhealthy attitude towards wealth. Like we said before, God wants you to be a good steward of the finances he gives you so that you can be freed to accomplish great things for him.
It is easy to get destabilized when the money finally comes. Greed creeps in like a poison. It squeezes out the joy of giving, gives you headaches about protecting what you have and you risk turning into an insomniac for lack of peace about the wealth you possess. What begins with a healthy stewardship of building wealth ends up as a desperate craving to get everything at once. The Wise man said that “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.” [Eccl 5:10] The poison of greed has tripped many a good man.
This poison has one potent antidote. Giving.
>> Who's The Boss?
Greed is when your wealth becomes the boss. An unhealthy desire for more develops when you allow your thoughts about money and wealth to guide your life. Giving helps you make God the boss. [See Luke 16:13] Giving regularly, especially to your community of faith, shows you and everyone around you that God is in charge of your finances. Moreover, it gives the control back to him. Giving destroys the tendency of money to take charge of you.
>> Less Is More
Greed gives you the illusion that you could do with more and more. The truth is that you can learn to be content with what you have, while still being a good steward of what you have. [Heb 13:5] Giving regularly gives you the opportunity to plan and moderate what you spend. If you can live with less, then you can live with more. [It doesn’t quite work the other way round]. The good book teaches us that if you can take care of little then you can be entrusted with more.
>> Give & Get Given
At the risk of sounding cliché, the real truth is that God does have a soft spot for givers. [2 Cor 9:6-9] Ok, he does not always give back to you exactly what you want, but he promises to bless you back for giving to him and his people. What knocks me over about giving to God is that in his own timing God promises to give back some stuff that money can’t buy like grace, righteousness and a whole lot of other good things. [See 2 Cor 9:6-9] In any case greed brings grief, but God’s blessing makes us rich the God way and adds no sorrow. [Prov 10:22]
>> Where Do I Begin?
The place to begin giving is in your local church. God’s word teaches us that regularly giving a tenth of our income to your community of faith unlocks all kinds of opportunities for him to bless us. [Mal 3:10] Planning and consistency in giving will help you develop healthy giving patterns that will enable you to reap the benefits of giving. Once you have mastered giving your tithe you can grow in your giving beyond your local community to various causes in your wider environment. 
In Conclusion :Your lessons in financial freedom cannot be complete until you are free from the tyranny of greed. Giving is your most potent antidote to the negative effects of greed. Learn to tame your wallet and let’s see God unlock the potential in you.
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