Craig Clouston

 The Cancer of Greed

October 21

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 impropri-

eties. 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, anony-

mous 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. “