Seven Deadly Sins – Part IV: Greed.

Ok – this week has had some wonderfully thought provoking comments ‘bringing us together’ in love.

Yes – i know we don’t all see exactly eye to eye, but i feel like we are a little closer together than we were before because of the honest and open way we were able to discuss what some may see as a point of difference. You have honoured me with your faithful care and commitment to the Spirit of Christ and i thank each and every contributor (and those who lurked without getting angry – or not displaying it anyway) 🙂 (is that being completely honest?? 😯 )

So forgive me this particular post coming straight after those previous ones but i’d like to get this series over with soon and the next post will be one you can relax and have a litle fun with – i hope. (and also do me a service at the same time – but more of that ‘soon’.)

Recap: idea is to discuss the ‘fabled’ Seven Deadly Sins which are not actually Biblical and don’t bear much resembance to the seven things hated by God From Proverbs 6:16-19.

Reason – to make ourselves aware of the ways we might still sin and to offer what ways we have found to overcome them so others might be better able to ward them off if they suffer from any (and i bet we all do in some way or another).

I am working through them Alphabetically and this week it is the ‘middle’ one of the Seven (because as Deb ably showed i stuffed up the first – Anger. Shoulda bin ‘Wrath’ – we live and learn) 🙂 The (my) middle one is GREED.

19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. (Prov 1:19)

Greed (or avarice, covetousness) is, like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. However, greed (as seen by the church) is applied to the acquisition of wealth in particular. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that greed was “a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things”.

Greed, noun. – excessive or rapacious desire, esp. for wealth or possessions. (and since we’re talking wealth here, can i just remind all who may not be aware that it is the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil – not the actual money itself!) 🙂

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Tim 6:10 )

Usually , since it is my blog i get to give one example from my own life and then i pass it over to anyone kind enough to comment – Remember it’s for the benefit of others who might be ‘struggling’. And Confession is suposed to be good for the soul, so… here goes.

Actually , in all modesty i’m having difficulty here. I am by no means a wealthy man – i have never devoted much of my life to the acquisition of wealth – at least none to succesfully. While my primary ‘work’ at the moment consists of watching the Aus sharemarket and seeking to make a fortune trading shares i may just sub-consciously be shooting myself in the foot and making poor choices to my supposed aim. 🙂

When i was around 12-13 i remember thinking carefully about the difference between ‘Need’ and ‘Want’ and decided then that while there was lots i ‘wanted’ there truly was not much i needed, for myself. I realised that i was not very likely to ever get everything i wanted because i would end up wanting still more and that really did not seem to make much sense. I resolved that so long as i had what i needed i would not want to want much else.

Of course i have the occasional daydream about winning a massive pile on a lottery and even buy a ticket once in a while but never with much conviction as i just do not yet have sufficient ‘need’.

So it is hard for me to come up with a personal example of Greed for wealth. Hmmmmm…..

( I dealt with gluttony before – right? 🙂 )

Greed… excessive desire for possessions…???

As such greed would be in response to our ego’s fear of not having sufficient to take care of our needs. This denies God’s Ability to take care of us – of our true needs.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
(Matt 6:19-21 and read the rest of the Chap. “Behold the fowls of the Air…” and Consider the lilies of the field…” quotes.)

Apart from those thoughts, i have nothing – Nope – nada! As far back as i care to remember (40 years plus) The closest thing i can come up with is – I hate to throw things away – because you never know when you will have need of it or it could be used in place of something else (recycling). It’s not for the sake of clinging to materiality – it’s just that i’ve been brought up to dislike wasting things. I have a wardrobe full of clothes going back over 20 years and i use about a tenth of them.

As far as how to overcome greed – for me it was simply working out that what you NEED is enough.

And really none of us needs all that much! I was never one for keeping up with the Jones’s

I couldn’t even keep up with The Simpsons! D’Oh! 😉

Over to you… (“greed”)