Greed

It has been a busy week and a half.  Hopefully, I will be more consistent on my entries.  God is definitely showing me many lessons in this One Year To Live commitment.

Greed:  such a little word, but it packs so much punch.  I have thought for years this is the root of all problems.  Most people if asked would probably say they don't have a problem with greed, but if we are honest, it is something we all deal with.  It just presents itself in different ways, but it always has the same result:  the focus is on me!

By definition,  greed means wanting more than one's share, or wanting what someone else has.  It goes along closely with envy and jealousy.  Wars have been started, careers have been ruined, and families have been torn apart because of it.  One little word, so much havoc.

There are plenty of examples in the Old and New Testaments of greed.  The story of Adam and Eve in the garden has greed at the root.  Eve wanted what God had.  She wanted to be like God.  She wasn't satisfied with the perfect world she had.  She just knew she was missing out on something.  It didn't work out too well for her.  It brought her into the reality of a fallen world.  She lost so much in her quest for wanting more.  David wanted Bathsheba.  She was not his to have, but that did not matter.  He even killed to cover up his sin.  Religious people of Jesus' day sent Him to the cross.  Why? He was exposing them for what they were. 

All wars are over greed.  Someone wants more or wants all of what someone else has.  People for centuries have fought over land, ideaolgies, religion, money, possessions, oil, and the list goes on and on.

People have killed other people over greed.  If you don't believe that, just turn on the TV in the morning, and you will hear of people killed overnight because of greed.  They robbed a store, they took someone's car, they wanted drugs, etc., etc.

If you really want to see greed, look at our political world.  Talk about a "dog eat dog world."  It's wanting power, influence, and money, and people will lie, cheat and steal to get what they want.

There has been a lot of talk during the politcal process this year about the wealthy and the rest of the country.  Our political leaders have used a weak spot in people to hopefully gain votes.  It's us against those  rich people.  They have all that money.  They should share it with the rest of us.  Who are they to have all that money while the rest of us have to struggle?  People who claim to love this country are driving a wedge between us, and that wedge is greed. They tell us we have a right to demand our fair share.

I have to confess that there have been times in the past that I have complained that we pay athletes and entertainers more than we pay teachers, firefighters, and policemen.  "It isn't fair,"  I would grumble.  "What I do is so much more important than what they do!"  I complained.  "I touch the future!"  On and on I would lament.

Talk about self-centered,  I was it.  It was all about me.  I was doing a job I loved, a job I wanted, and I knew going in that I was not going make a lot of money, but that didn't stop my complaining.  I wanted more than my share.  I wanted what someone else had.  It dawned on me one day that I was greedy.  I didn't like the sound of it, but it was true.  I had to take a really long look at myself, and I certainly did not like what I saw.  Thankfully, I serve a loving and forgiving God, who convicted me enough to see myself for what I was: a sinner, who needs His Grace and Forgiveness. 

I would like to say from that day on I haven't had any other issues with greed, but that would be a lie, but as I live out this One Year To Live, I know that in the grand scheme,  all that matters is not what I have or don't have in this world, but I have what is eternal, and that is a close, personal relationship with Jesus.  He is all I need in this world and the next!  Praise God for His mercies!

Peace,