Greed — the desire to have what someone else has is really the basis for almost all forms of sin. Every war in history was fought because someone wanted to occupy a space on the planet Earth that another group of people inhabited. Many marriages have been torn apart and children have suffered because another woman desired the husband of another woman.

Many people have been shot to death  because someone desired to have something they didn't presently have — and for some reason or another — felt that deserved it. And think of the multitudes of criminals who break into houses, steal cars and other possessions belonging to other people every few seconds across the United States.

All of these sins have one thing in common — Greed!

Unfortunately, human beings are born with this trait in them; but as we grow up and become intelligent human beings, we have to find ways to subdue this part of our character. Some ways to do this are:

Think about the short time span you are on this Earth. Is the greed you have for something belonging to someone else really worth the moment of pleasure that you will derive from it if you should get it?

 

If you have the desire to steal whatever it is that will make you happy, consider the fact that you must hide the truth (tell a lie) for the rest of your life so you are not caught in your actions. In other words, if you rob a grocery store and get $50 — is that act worth hiding for the rest of your life? You will have to keep it on your mind constantly in order to avoid people finding out about the robbery and getting caught and sent to jail. Is $50 really worth all this hassle? If so, you really cannot value yourself very highly.

Greed doesn't start out on a large scale. A normal person doesn't just wake up one morning and decide to rob a bank. Instead, sin starts out small. A person becomes angry at themselves for not having more money, a better job, more friends or a prettier face and body than someone else. They will begin to feel sorry for themselves and instead of doing something about it will look for ways to wallow in their self-pity. They will find themselves saying things like, "She always has money and I work harder than she does." "He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and doesn't deserve all the fancy cars and women he has." "My neighbor has ordered new furniture 6 times during the last year and here I sit with the same stuff we bought 25 years ago." "They get to go on vacations all the time and I have to scrape and save for a weekend camping trip." and so on and so on and so on.

As soon as these feelings start, you need to STOP them. Sure, you are probably correct in your assumption about other people and "why" they have all the luck — but if you allow these feelings to manifest and grow, you will be the one getting the short end of the stick. You'll begin to make yourself miserable contemplating how you can get revenge or prove to this other person you are much better than they are.

But stop and think about it. Who really cares? Will the fact that Ms. Davis across the street has new furniture make alarming headlines 10 years in the future? I don't think so.

You have to continually remind yourself that you are only temporarily existing on this planet. You will not live forever. While it's fine to save money for the future or to hand down to other family members — you can't take a thing with you with you die. Even Howard Hughes with all his vast billions died alone and doesn't have a penny to his name now. He worked so hard, stepped on other people and climbed his way to billionaire status. What did he have to show for it that is benefiting him now?

Life is meant to be enjoyed. In fact, it takes more time and trouble to plan, conceive and carry out revengeful acts of greed (that usually blow-up in your face) than it does to just be peaceful and keep your mind clear and pure. If you always tell the truth, you don't have to worry about telling people different lies and trying to remember "who" you told what lie to. It gets boring going through life looking over your shoulder all the time.

Mankind always wants more than they presently have. Where does it end? If you get the million dollars you wanted do you stop? No, you then want another million. Only God can help you recognize greed when it starts and help you to defuse it.

The AV 1611 King James Bible

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