Seven Deadly Sins: Greed

A greedy man brings trouble to his family...

Proverbs 15:27a

 

greedy adj. hungry.  1 wanting or taking all that one can

get, with no thought of others' needs; desiring more than

one needs or deserves; avaricious, covetous. 

In the many sources of information on the Seven Deadly Sins, both online and offline, about half of the resources believe that Pride is the over-riding sin - the "Big One," the sin from which all others arise.  Several studies make a very good case for this argument, because they believe that pride interferes with a person's ability to recognize the grace of God.

I would like to put forth a different candidate.  I believe that Greed is at the base of almost all sin:  Greed for money (the love of money is a root of all evil), greed for position, greed for fame, greed for possessions, and most of all, the greed for power.  None of us enjoys being helpless.  All of us want to be in control of our lives - our destiny.  Greed causes that desire for control to extend beyond ourselves and onto others.  We want the power to shape reality to our own desires, regardless of what anyone else wants.  

Pride might interfere with the recognition of the grace of God, but greed blots out any recognition of the position of God.  God is the Creator; we are the created - the creature.  Greed does not care for that scenario. Greed wants to be the decision maker, the dictator, the power boss.  Greed does not want to answer to anyone except itself.

God invites us, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Lay your troubles down at My feet and let me carry them. I will be your fortress, your stronghold, your hiding place."

The sin of greed says, "No thanks!  I can do it myself.  I don't trust anyone but me."