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“Money, money, money. Always sunny in the rich man's world...All the things I could doif I had a little money.”More than almost any other, this mindset dominates the collective Americanconsciousness in the twenty-first century.Cleverly cloaked by political correctness as “consumerism,” greed has become a drivingforce in our culture. The very thing that draws so many immigrants to our country--the“American Dream”--is often described primarily in material terms. For many years now,the symbol of achievement for Americans has not been freedom, education, or goodhealth...it’s been homeownership.And because money dominates much of our personal conversation, it should be nosurprise that it dominates our political conversation as well. Presidents are often electedbased on their ability to enhance the national economy. If they succeed in that endeavor,we send them back for another term. If they fail, we replace them. The rise and fall ofmen who hold the world’s most powerful office is largely based on their ability to padthe wallets of the Americans who elect them.Oscar Wilde once commented, “When I was young, I thought that money was the mostimportant thing in life. Now that I’m old, I know that it is.” Though most of us wouldn’tlet these words escape from our lips, we betray our hearts by the avaricious lifestyles welive.Nothing New Under The SunIf there is any consolation in this discussion of greed, it’s that greed is not a newproblem. Though Americans have perfected the art, we did not invent it.Scripture is chockfull of individuals overcome by the magnetic pull of greed: From Lotchoosing the better land for his livestock (Genesis 13) to Achan pilfering booty from thewreckage of Jericho (Joshua 7). From Gehazi wrongfully profiting from Naaman (2Kings 5) to Ananias and Sapphira lying about their income (Acts 5). The list isstaggering.And of, course, the story of the very Son of God is inextricably tied to greed. Jesus wasnot betrayed for glory, honor, fame, good health, or a long life...but for 30 pieces ofsilver.The Messiah, the Son of the Creator of the universe, was not delivered over for anythingmore than a pocketful of money.Greed is a plague that has infected mankind almost since day one.The Problem(s) With GreedAccordingly, Scripture has much to say against greed. Consider the following as a nonexhaustivelist of God’s comments on the subject:• Greed is characterized by a tendency to hoard material possessions tooneself. (See Luke 12:16-21)• Greed can destroy one’s sympathy, compassion, and concern for the lessfortunate. (See Proverbs 18:23; Consider also Luke 16:19-31 and 1 Timothy 6:17)• Greed focuses one’s attention on the wrong kind of treasure. (See Matthew6:19-21)• Greed can prompt one to take advantage of others in order to gain wealth.(See James 5:1-5; Consider also Proverbs 13:11)• Greed consumes one’s time and energy. (See Proverbs 23:4)• Greed is never satiated. (See Ecclesiastes 5:10)• Greed can be complicit with a multitude of other sins. (See 2 Timothy 3:1-5)• Greed is the opposite of contentment, which is commanded by God. (See 1Timothy 6:6-8; Consider also Hebrews 13:5)• Greed prevents one from being a public servant of the church. (See 1Timothy 3:8)• Greed prevents one from being a leader in the church. (1 Timothy 3:3, Titus1:7)• Greed leads to grief, ruin, and destruction. (See 1 Timothy 6:9-10)• Greed prevents one from being able to serve God. (See Matthew 6:24)Just Avoid ItIn the final analysis, greed compels us to do what Will Smith once described as“spending money we don’t have to buy things we don’t want to impress people we don’tlike.”And as Christians, we must simply avoid it altogether.