Net Worth

My Quicken program has a little icon I can click for my net worth. It tells me exactly how much the Sauer family is worth. It’s been decreasing as of late. We are not alone.

Fear seems to be a prominent part of our culture today because of the implosion of the financial sector. The Dow fell. The Dow rose. The Dow started good and then the bottom dropped out. People have lost trillions of dollars out of their net worth. Trying times, to say the least.

What have you been thinking about all of this? Are you feeling fear, too? Anxiety? Depression?
For some, it means holding off on their retirement and staying in the work force longer than planned.. For others, it means cutting back on spending. For some, it means finding another job. For some, it means losing their job.

And for many of us, it means finding someone to blame. And there are plenty of possible suspects.

One primary suspect is greed. From the have's to the have-nots, greed has reared its ugly head. Now we have a big mess. Should we be surprised?

“Put to death therefore whatever in you is earthly – fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. One account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you once followed when you were living that life, but now you must get rid of such things . . .” Colossians 3:5-8a

Gandhi said, “There is enough for everyone’s need but there is not enough to meet everyone’s greed.”

Greed is defined as a reprehensible desire to acquire. A common synonym is avarice. The Bible calls greed a sin – from the old self – an idol.

Paul said to Timothy, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” (I Timothy 6:10)

Randy Alcorn in his book Money, Possessions, and Eternity, has this to say about greed,

Jesus Christ sounded a sober warning against materialism in any form and in any age: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

Greed isn’t a harmless pastime but a serious offense against God. As one who lusts is an adulterer (Matthew 5:28) and one who hates is a murderer (1 John 3:15), so one who is greedy is an idolater (Colossians 3:5). Greed is money worship, a violation of the first and most fundamental commandment: “I am the Lord your God . . . You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2-3). The eight commandment is a prohibition against stealing (Exodus 20:15), another product of greed, and the tenth commandment is a warning against covetousness (Exodus 20:17). Remarkably, the ten great laws of God, written in stone, contain three prohibitions against materialism. (p. 34)

God is in the business of getting our attention. He has shown throughout human history a relentless willingness to do whatever it takes to get our focus back on Him. Too often, we find security in the things of this world. Our security cannot be found there. Maybe God is trying to get our attention. Maybe God is reminding us that He is our greatest treasure. Do you trust Him more than the number you see when you tally your financial net worth? See Matthew 6:25-34.