The sin of greed is also called the sin of covetousness.  It is a strong desire to possess things like wealth or goods for oneself. Greed is a selfish sin of excess, because it means possessing items that are not just those that allow us to survive or be comfortable.  Greed is also not just a sin of money.  It is a sin of dissatisfaction with what one needs or has.

Greed is a Sin of Excess and Selfishness
Greed is a sin of desire.


  We are bombarded every day by messages that we should want more.  We are told we should want more money, more power, more items.  We are never told that what we are is enough. That house you live in, you need a bigger one, don’t you?  That phone you’ve had for two months is outdated, so you need a new one.  These messages create in us a preoccupation with having more.  We lose focus on being satisfied or having enough, because greed takes root and tells us what we have is never enough.

Greed is also a sin of selfishness.  Those who are greedy don’t collect wealth or possessions to share them. They tend to hoard their wealth for their own benefit.  They put themselves first and cannot see how that wealth could go a long way in helping others.  Having a great deal of wealth is not a sin in itself.  It is the love of money or possessions that is sinful, not the items themselves, just as 1 Timothy 6:10 reminds us:  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

Consequences of Greed
The major consequence of greed is that it pulls us away from God.

  We become focused on possessing something so much that we don’t allow God to provide it.  We forget to trust Him, and we walk away from His grace.  Greed pulls us into a sticky web of desire that blinds us to what God can truly provide.  Instead of God being our treasure, we allow the object of our obsession to be that treasure.

Greed also isolates us from others.  To make room for the items we possess, we have to give something up.  Too often we sacrifice other people to satisfy our own greed.  Since greed causes us to be focused on ourselves, we lose sight of others’ needs, and we push them away.  We block others from being a part of our lives.  

When we get greedy, we also miss opportunities to experience life.  Sure, wealth can open us up to life experiences.  Who wouldn’t want to travel the world, sit front row at a concert, go on a shopping spree, but greed can get in the way of those experiences.  The idea of parting with wealth can lead to obsessively replacing it.  It can cloud how wonderful those experiences can be.  

Overcoming Greed
 Greed is not a simple sin to overcome.  The temptation toward greed isn’t easy to avoid, because it’s seductive sin.  It leads us away from grace and hope.  However, we can take some slow steps to avoid falling into greed’s trap:

• Tithe regularly:  We’re called to tithe to the church, and it is easy to get out of the habit of tithing.  Start out small if this is difficult for you.  Give a little back each week, and slowly see how easy it is to increase in small increments.
• Give back to your community:  Volunteering time and money to organizations that mean something to you can go a long way to overcoming greed.  It means sacrificing wealth and time, which sometimes feel precious.
• Be generous:  Generosity doesn’t always mean giving money or possessions to others. It can also mean being generous with your love and admiration.  When we change our mindset to how wonderful others are, we find generosity comes in all sorts of ways.
• Be grateful:  Learn to enjoy what God has given.  Gratitude journals are a simple place to record how thankful you are for what God provides.  Gratitude prayers allow you to build your relationship with God and see His grace throughout your life