Craig Clouston

The Cancer of Greed

Put to death … sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:5

Kenny was executor of the estate when his father died. His mother’s passing a few years before meant the entire estate would now need to be settled. It was a sizable estate to be settled among the three children: Kenny, his older sister, Kate, and their younger brother, Kurt.
For years Kenny had dreaded this day, but now that it was here he saw an unexpected opportunity. With startling clarity, he realized the will was rather generic in nature, and there was room for interpretation.
Having lost his life savings in a recent securities venture, Kenny was financially insolvent, completely broke. Here was an opportunity to recoup his financial losses by siphoning off funds from the estate.
So, deciding to make the most of it, Kenny fudged the books to reflect fictitious debt his father had accumulated. By filtering the finances to cover those debts, Kenny would make a substantial amount of money and receive three times more than his siblings in the settlement.
His plan almost worked. Kenny was unaware that his father had taken Kurt into his confidence weeks before his death because he was afraid of this very thing happening. When confronted, Kenny initially denied any improprieties. The resulting feud tore the family apart. Kenny was unremorseful over his veiled attempt to defraud his own family, and greed claimed another victory.

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Greed is a cancerous evil. It changes a person’s character, gradually increasing its grip, claiming more and more of the person’s heart, until finally he or she is consumed by it.
Greed tells us we are deserving, subtly gaining our allegiance, all the while making it harder to recognize its influence in our own lives.
And it doesn't always show itself in a deliberate manner as in today’s story; it frequently comes cloaked in possessive behavior such as stinginess or entitlement.
Paul tells us to kill it.
Through prayer and purposeful giving, without thought of personal gain, we can resolve any issues of greed in our lives. By committing random, anonymous acts of generosity, we put to death the idol of greed.

Prayer

“Help me hold on loosely to what You’ve given me, Lord. Teach me to have a giving heart instead of a selfish one. In Jesus’ Name, amen. “