Wealth does not mean Greed

In every society, there are different income levels and some people refer to this as the rich and the poor. The rich are often referred to as "greedy" and the poor has many labels from lazy to victims of economic inequality. Yes, there are rich or wealthy people who are "greedy" and there are poor or low income people who are systematically subjected to little to no opportunities for economic growth. However, greed is a trait that is shared by both the rich and the poor. Wealth is not greed because anyone - rich or poor can fall into the category of greed. It would be wrong to describe wealth as greed and every rich person as greedy.

Someone who spends 20 hours a week playing video games or watching re-runs on TV is quick to call other people who work an extra 10 hours per week "lovers of money" or materialistic. This is how twisted our human minds have become. Job was a rich man (Job 1:3) and God called Job His servant (Job 1:8) - not for what he owns but his mindset towards what he owns. In a place like the US, there are neighborhoods where low income people generally live in. Some refer to these places as "ghetto" or "trailer parks" depending on the color of the skin of those living in these communities. There are several reasons why people live in places like these but I'm only going to list three so I can move on to the subject of greed.

• The individual doesn't mind living in such community.
• Such community is where their income level forces them to live in.
• Some have a strategic plan for lower living expenses in order to save up money for future endeavors.

There is nothing wrong with anyone living in any low income community for whatever reason(s). At the same time, this doesn't automatically mean that the person living in a low income community is humble or not greedy. It also doesn't give anyone the right to label someone like Bill Gates "greedy" simply because he chose to live in a place that is not only safe for him based on his life accomplishment but he can also easily afford it without breaking the bank. Unless you have substantial proof that someone is selfish and complains a lot about what they don't have while living a life of luxury that they cannot afford, then your claim of greed is baseless. It just makes you sound weak and uninformed. Like it's often said: Never judge a book by its cover. It is better to read and understand its content before reaching a conclusion.

There are people in places like New York who pay a monthly rent that is more than a down payment for a mansion in some places like Texas. Not to mention the $20 Million dollar one bedroom studios in New York that is worth twice as much as ten different "million dollar" mansions combined. If someone in Texas owns and can afford five of those mansions as source of income, we are quick to call them greedy. But the New York guy who owns and can't afford his one bedroom worth $20M is given a pass and sometimes pity for "struggling" or trying to catch up.

Jealous and selfish people like Judas (John 12:5-8) will find a way to demonize what other people do with their money by quoting scriptures that are not applicable. This is done with a covetous mindset because these individuals would rather be the ones to benefit from everything instead of someone else. You can tell from Jesus' rebuke that Jesus knew it was pure greed and not because Judas cared about the poor deep down in his heart. And who is to say that the woman with the expensive oil(perfume) in John chapter 12 did not already give much more to the poor? We can't judge people's generosity or selfishness based on one act. The sad news is that most of us hardly remember to thank God for His blessings because we don't take the time to count them. We mostly remember to pray when we are in need of God's help. The "Thank You Lord" prayers are rare and sometimes in non-existence.

We cannot love God more or less when we have it all. We cannot need Him more or less when we have nothing. Thanksgiving and petition for strength to stay strong should be a daily thing regardless of our circumstances. Anything that we value more than God automatically becomes our idol. Things like evil desire, immorality and greed falls into this category of idolatry - Colossians 3:5. The direction of the zeros in your bank account should not determine when to follow the direction of your hero (Jesus) because zeros come and go but Jesus the hero is the same forever. Call on Him in the day of trouble; Call on Him when you have no physical needs or the need to borrow; Call on Him when in sorrow and He will always be your hero.