Greed

I have come to disagree with the notion that the love of money is the root of all evil. The love of money is greed. I, myself, believe that greed is actually the root of all evil. I am going to delve into greed in a way that you may not have been accustomed to before. Greed is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed” (Merriam-Webster). Greed is clearly evil and goes against all that God stands for. “[16] For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world. [17] The world is passing away, and with it its lusts [the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever” (1 John 2:16-17 AMP).

There are evil things out there that aren't tied to money, like the power one can have over people. Power and money are not necessarily connected. In this situation, the person would be full of greed, wanting more and more power. Think of an authoritarian, wanting absolute authority over their subjects, impeding the freedom of the people. Freedom that God has granted us through free will. Another example is gluttony. Greed is involved, because a person is not content with eating normally and wants to eat more and more on top of what they actually need to eat. This may be the result of many factors including low self-esteem. Maybe that person finds comfort in food. Regardless, gluttony is a sin, and one can find supernatural comfort in God.

Greed is even evident in a lie. Why do we lie? Isn’t it born out of the desire to escape from doing something or feeling one kind of way? One can lie to continue feeling good about oneself. They want more minutes of the day feeling good about themselves. Lest they face the consequences of their actions or the truth. So they lie to preserve their current state of mind and keep their life operating the way they want, without any change. They will do anything to preserve their current state of living. You can achieve the same thing by being honest and truthful. But many times, you may have to face the consequences in life head-on, while a liar lies to avoid facing them. Life isn’t a bed of roses. The desire to escape a situation that may make one lie, also involves murder. This will either include committing murder to hide one’s secret, committing murder to preserve one’s position, job, or authority, or committing murder because one is dissatisfied with their life and driven to murder by rage or envy. These are just some examples of the motives for murder. Murder is a product of greed.

The ultimate form of greed is the desire to preserve one’s current way of life—having one’s life operate the way they want it, without any change—by rejecting God. With God, a life change is required. They want to keep doing the things they want to do, unimpeded. There is always one thing that is present in all forms of greed, selfishness. Being content with your current situation neutralizes greed in all its forms. A person is able to be most content when they place their trust in God and not in material things or socioeconomic statuses. God will provide all we need. He makes a way for us to attain what we need. I used the word “attain” because it may not be as easy as manna falling from heaven. I used the word “need” because our wants and desires aren’t necessarily what we truly need. But in good time, He rewards us and satisfies our needs.

1. Merriam-Webster. Definition of Greed. Merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/greed.

2. 1 John 2 | AMP Bible | YouVersion. (n.d.). In www.bible.com. https://www.bible.com/bible/1588/1JN.2.AMP.