Greed Is Idolatry
We must receive to be able to give. Since we have received forgiveness, we can be forgiving; having received grace we are able to be gracious; we love because He first loved us. We receive in order to serve. Greed, on the other hand, is about receiving in order to use it for ourselves then wanting to receive even more for ourselves (Prov 30:15, CEV).
Greed is selfish, unloving, rebellion toward God who bids us to serve Him and, under His direction (Phil 3:3, GW; 2 Cor 8:5), to serve others. Consequently, it will bring trouble to us and our family (Prov 15:27, NIV) because it is idolatry (1 Sam 15; 23, Moffatt). It disregards God’s right to our obedience and, as a result, greed disregards the rights of others (Eph 5:5, Weymouth note). We are greedy to go beyond the appropriate boundaries the Lord has set for sex, for instance, so we have sex with someone who will someday be someone else’s wife or who is now someone else’s wife. We become more impure, pollute another, and cause trouble to their marriage and our own. We have allowed greed to get a grip on us. If we keep letting this form of greed get a stronger grip on us, we become more obsessed, promiscuous, and weaken our ability to form a healthy marital bond. Our capacity to love and serve, to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives, becomes damaged.
There are other kinds of greed as well. We can be greedy for such things as money, things, reputation, approval, or excitement. What is the cure for greed? As Prov 28:25 (NCV) indicates, the solution to greed is to trust the Lord. We trust Him to provide for us financially and to grant us whatever possessions He knows we need. We become unconcerned about reputation, excitement, approval and the like. For example, we believe His plan for our finding fulfillment with only one woman is best. In short, we trust Him enough to do things His way. We become content with what He has for us.
Comforting others is costly but worth it.