Watch Out For Greed Brother Felmar Serreno: Hi there, and thank you for joining us again on this podcast version of God’s Message magazine. Shoutout to all our avid listeners, our friends, and our brothers and sisters around the world. Thank you for constantly listening and even promoting this podcast. As for our topic today, it’s “Watch Out For Greed.”  It is natural for people to try and better their condition in life. The usual and socially accepted process is to acquire a good education that leads to a lucrative career. This, as perceived, will lead to financial stability, material possessions, and other perks that come with being well-off in life.  However, too many people, even after achieving what others would deem as a successful stature, still desire for more and more, and are willing to do anything to realize their ambitions, be it through fraud, corruption, scams, and even the taking of other people’s life. What have such people fallen to is greed, which, as defined by the dictionary, on merriam-webster.com, is a selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed. The evil of being greedy Brother Felmar Serreno: To be greedy does not only refer to an excessive desire to consume food (which is also called gluttony), but it also refers to a desperate craving, for riches, power, fame, or pleasure, no matter how, no matter the cost. All because of the misguided belief that the more a person has, the more complete his life would be. But is it true that a person’s worth is measured by what he has attained materially? This statement of Christ answers that question:  And he went on to say to them all, “Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person’s true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be.”[Luke 12:15 Good News Bible] Brother Felmar Serreno: It is a great mistake then to think that, the more a person owns, the more his life is complete. To clamor for more than what one essentially needs is a manifestation of greed. And the danger of being greedy is that it can cause him to forget about God, thus:  The wicked are proud of their evil desires; the greedy curse and reject the LORD. The wicked do not care about the LORD; in their pride they think that God doesn’t matter.[Psalm 10:3-4 Good News Bible] Brother Felmar Serreno: The greedy reject God. They assume that all they have achieved is because of their own intellect and effort. And that through their wealth, and the power that usually comes with it, they assume to have an answer for every predicament or problem. They have placed their trust in what they have accomplished due to greed, and not in God.  The greedy according to the Bible Brother Felmar Serreno: Now many people may deny that they are greedy, but how does the Bible identify those who are? Who are those who feel compelled to accumulate and hoard as much as they can? The Bible says this: Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages And gives him nothing for his work, Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence.[Jeremiah 22:13, 17 New King James Version] Brother Felmar Serreno: So, an employer who holds back the honestly-earned wages of an employee is practicing greed. So, too, is one who hires a service, but then is not willing to pay for it. Others who have an insatiable appetite for wealth and power also practice extortion, or taking unwarranted advantage of others through business transactions as stated in Ezekiel 22:12 in the New International Version:  In you men accept bribes to shed blood; you take usury and excessive interest and make unjust gain from your neighbors by extortion. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign LORD.[Ezekiel 22:12 New International Version] Brother Felma...