What Comes to Your Mind When Greed Is Mentioned?

Greed is not a nice, attractive word, especially when it has personal implications. Most people are guilty of being greedy, if only momentarily. Has greed formed a vicious circle in your daily life? Greed is synonymous with possessiveness, with little consideration for what is right.

In the past, greed was listed as a deadly sin that sent a person to purgatory for an indefinite period of time. Greed has the potential of becoming an obsession, a passion for accumulating possessions and wealth. It can become more important than God or people.

Greed forms a vicious circle that captures the heart and the soul. Proverbs 8:18 teaches that wisdom should be our objective, for it is a gift from God. Listen to God's word:“I have riches and honor to give. What you get from me is better than the finest gold, better than the purest silver.” God is the source of wisdom that is capable of satisfying the heart and the soul. 

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Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

~Luke 12:15 New International Version

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Creative Image-Bearers

Can you imagine God’s creating mankind in his own image, then giving them equipment to master the rest of creation? It’s hard to identify what it means personally to “Multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” The thought of being a co-creator with God seems too awesome to ponder. Loss of confidence and GREED have the power to sidetrack our creative energies.

Greed encourages us to get what we deserve regardless of the cost to others. Greed eliminates sharing. Yet within most people is a struggle between being selfish and being creative for everyone’s benefit. The Bible gives many examples of creative, crafty people.

One such person was Jacob, who used deception to steal his brother Esau’s birthright. This is only one of many instances when Jacob used his God-given, creative abilities to deceive others, but God refused to give up on him.  As in Jacob’s case, God keeps nudging us to use our creativity for good purposes so he can bless us with his favor.