Twice in my life, I’ve witnessed an inheritance from a parent to their children significantly damage family relationships. It astonished me how hidden greed stepped from behind the curtains of flesh and, taking center stage, completely threw family sorrow into ugly avarice. It’s not funny like the “unbridled avarice” in the movie “A Christmas Story.”
Now, we may not be aware that greed or envy is one of our weaknesses until wealth stands close to us. And envy, being that sly cousin of desire, can do the same damage as greed without money ever coming near us.
What a loss we suffer when we love money. To love money testifies to our lack of faith in Jesus, for we are told in Philippians 4:6 (ESV), “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
To protect us from the love of money, Godliness includes practicing self-restraint or habitual moderation, also known as temperance (2 Peter 1:3-8). It’s okay if God prospers the work of our hands; that’s a blessing that can also bless many people. Ah, but if you or I start to feel like Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings,” grasping for that golden ring no matter who gets hurt, then watch out! Don’t walk but run from the source of that temptation!
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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