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- Oct 26, 2007
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But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 1 Timothy 6:9
It’s not difficult to see the proof of the destructiveness of greed in the world around you. The federal prison system is filled with men whose love of money led them to commit crimes so serious that they resulted in long—sometimes lifelong—imprisonments. Just do a quick internet search of the following names for some stark examples of the consequences of greed: Bernie Madoff, Jeff Skilling, Bernie Ebbers, Dennis Kozlowski, and John Rigas.
The Bible teaches that greed, or “the love of money,” is the driving force for all sorts of evil and wickedness, and sometimes the ruin of men’s lives of faith: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s” (1 timothy 6:10).
Money, in and of itself, is not evil, and neither is the desire to better yourself financially. Money is just a tool, one you can use to care for your family, to build yourself a better life, or to bless others. But you put yourself at serious risk when you make the acquisition of material wealth your life’s focus.
It’s not difficult to see the proof of the destructiveness of greed in the world around you. The federal prison system is filled with men whose love of money led them to commit crimes so serious that they resulted in long—sometimes lifelong—imprisonments. Just do a quick internet search of the following names for some stark examples of the consequences of greed: Bernie Madoff, Jeff Skilling, Bernie Ebbers, Dennis Kozlowski, and John Rigas.
The Bible teaches that greed, or “the love of money,” is the driving force for all sorts of evil and wickedness, and sometimes the ruin of men’s lives of faith: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s” (1 timothy 6:10).
Money, in and of itself, is not evil, and neither is the desire to better yourself financially. Money is just a tool, one you can use to care for your family, to build yourself a better life, or to bless others. But you put yourself at serious risk when you make the acquisition of material wealth your life’s focus.