"The earth is the Lord's..."

"The earth is the LORD's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."
Psalm 24:1

Greed: Maybe it started with the American dream or maybe it started way before America was even thought of. Either way, it is rampant in our society today. The Bible has much to say about the accumulation of wealth (Proverbs 21:20, Proverbs 28:20), which is not evil or bad in and of itself. The Bible also has much to say about how to be good stewards of what God has given us (Matthew 25:14-30). In light of what God says, what are we to do with all the events swirling around us that deal with our personal, national, and global economy?

I have come to one conclusion over this recently and it is that we may be able to politically change policies, but only God can change the heart of men. We live in a society that greed, materialism, and the accumulation of "stuff" has become more important than families and the protection of the poor. It is easy to point the finger at "big executives", but are we any less guilty? At some point, the church stopped taking care of the poor in the community and the government had to step in. At some point, Christians began to decide that a bigger house, a more expensive car, and the best of everything was more important than whether or not their neighbor had food on the table. I am just as guilty as anyone.

So what are we to do? We must pray that the Lord will change hearts and that He will start with ours. I am not suggesting that we go and sell everything we own and give to the poor - unless God directs us to do that - but I am suggesting that we take a good look at what it means to be a sacrificial giver. Everything we have belongs to the Lord. Everything. Knowing that, we must be good stewards and ready to give whatever He asks of us.