Greed has always been with mankind and unfortunately probably always will be. We have never lived in a world that is so materially rich and yet the gap between rich and poor has increased exponentially. Yet regardless of our income, greed is a trap we can all fall into if we are not careful. Jesus warned us about this in Luke 12:15: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of material possessions”.

Material possessions cannot ultimately protect us in this life and certainly not in the life to come. Greed can never be satisfied and it leaves us wanting more and more, and this way of life is totally disrespectful to God. In Proverbs 23:4 we are advised: “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your cleverness”.

In previous blogs, I have written that wealth is not a problem – it is what we do with it that matters and especially if we are people of faith – in this instance Christians. Jesus makes this point repeatedly in scripture with crystal clarity.

Alas in Christianity we have purveyors of the Prosperity Gospel who claim you can have the material possessions if you donate to their ministry and follow their perverted version of the gospel. Many of these established churches are rich materially, but perhaps not rich in spirit.

Greed has to be mastered and taken under control. Jesus reminds that, ‘The love of money is the root of all evil’, and that no one can serve two masters. The Lord also taught that our focus should be heavenward, and not lusting after things on earth. Jesus reminded his disciples and reminds us that where our treasure is, our hearts will be also.

Jesus implores us in Matthew 6.25-34: “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all things will be given to you as well”. With this as our guideline whatever we have in the bank, we should not go far wrong. We should seek that which pleases God and leads to eternal life, and not temporary things that have no lasting value or merit in the kingdom of God.