Greedy of Gain

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Proverbs 1:17-19, “Surely in vain the net is spread in=
the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk pr=
ivily for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone that is GREEDY OF GA=
IN; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.”

God is not against gain, but He is=
against greed.  When we honor the Lord with our lives, our finances, =
and our families, God often adds gain to different areas of our lives.&nbsp=
; “The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it=
” (Proverbs 10:22.)  There has always been a great appeal in tryin=
g to get something for nothing.  This makes it very easy to become gre=
edy of gain.  The enticement of Proverbs chapter one is powerful becau=
se it promises personal gain.  They assure in Proverbs 1:13: “We sh=
all find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil.” =
 While gain often accompanies the blessing of God, it can very easily =
become greed.  Consider three pitfalls of someone who allows gain to t=
urn into greed.

Greed blinds us to danger.&nbsp=
; Someone who has become g=
reedy loses the insight that makes them aware of impending danger.  Ve=
rse 17 of the text describes this hidden trap: “Surely in vain the net i=
s spread in the sight of any bird.”  When Lot chose the plain of S=
odom, his decision was based on the well-watered abundant land.  He di=
dn’t consider the danger that Sodom would bring to his family.  Soon h=
e pitched his tent toward Sodom, and before long he was sitting at the gate=
of the wicked city.  We would do well to heed Jesus’ warning about gr=
eed as he reflected on this sad story. “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 1=
7:32.)  As you see the Lord’s return drawing near, don’t cling to the =
stuff you have.  Don’t allow gain to turn to greed, or it will blind y=
ou to danger. 

Greed bleeds us to destruction.=
 A greedy person wil=
l find themselves using other people to forward their own personal cause.&n=
bsp; In verse 11 they are plotting on the innocent: “Come with us, let u=
s lay wait for blood; let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause.”  But selfish plans rooted in greed always end up hurting th=
ose who formulate them.  Notice what the result of their plot was in P=
roverbs 1:18 “And they lay wait for their OWN blood.”  Greed wa=
s what motivated wicked Haman to convince King Ahaseurus to kill the Jews, =
but in the end he was hanged on the gallows he designed for someone else.&n=
bsp; Why?  Because “he that is greedy of gain troubleth his OWN hou=
se, but he that hateth gifts shall live” (Proverbs 15:27.)  Don’t =
allow gain to turn to greed or it will make you bleed. 

Greed buries us in death. =
Because the love of money=
is the root of all evil, many who follow after it stray from the path of G=
od for their lives.  The root of evil doesn’t stay a root forever, and=
it soon evil fruit springs from it.  Greed manifests itself in differ=
ent types of evil fruit.  For some it may be the enjoyment of expensiv=
e toys on days when they should be in the house of God.  For others it=
may be making payments on luxury items to the neglect of giving to the wor=
k of the Lord.  Greed may even trigger a relapse back into an old life=
style of addiction for someone who is starting to get their life back toget=
her. The end of sin is never anything but death. “Sin, when it is finish=
ed, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15.)  Being greedy of gain lead=
s to all manner of ungodliness, “but godliness with contentment is great=
gain” (I Timothy 6:6.)  For that reason, we should avoid the root=
of all sin, and ask God to keep our hearts from the love of money.  G=
reed buries us in debt, and it buries us in death. 

It is not wrong to=
have possessions, but it is wrong when possessions have you.  Don’t b=
e greedy of gain, but “be content with such things as ye have: for he ha=
th said I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5.)&nbsp=
; God, who owns everything, is our provider, and He will be with us always =
as He promised.  As long as we stay close to Him, we will have our nee=
ds met by Him.  He is a kind and loving Father who delights in caring =
for the needs of His children.  So “having food and raiment, let us=
therewith be content” (I Timothy 6:8.) 

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To learn more about the ministries of Dr. Paul Kingsbury =
and Reformers Unanimous,
please visit northlove.org or reformu.com=
.

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