We have heard a lot in the news this past week about a plan to “Bail out” wall street. The idea is so that our economy will do better. Evidently there are some people who got rich and while doing so were not forthright and honest about it. Now they want the average taxpayer to have to pay for all of this. That would mean a raise in your taxes.

The thing that got us into this mess is greed (avarice). There are people in our society today who are greedy, (that surprises you doesn’t it?) and will go to great measures to get what they want. Here are a few examples:

A woman goes to McDonald’s and orders a cup of coffee. As she pulls away from the drive through window she has placed the cup of coffee between her legs. She spills the coffee and what does she do? She sues McDonald’s. Hey, they are a large corporation. They will never miss a few million dollars from their stockpile of cash. At least that is the thinking of some.—Greed!

A man takes his weekly pay check and buys lottery tickets because the jackpot has hit the high double figures of millions of dollars. He gets his numbers, has them handy and when the drawing is held he does not get a dime. But he was willing to put up a weeks paycheck to take that opportunity.—Greed!

A person made a mistake and caused an accident. The one who was not hurt very badly takes the other man to court and wins a big settlement. The insurance paid all the medical bills and loss of wages, but that was not enough. Greed! We live in a country where we want more, more, more!

Jesus told a parable about a rich farmer. His crops had hit a surplus this year and he did not know what he would do. Then a plan struck him. He would tear down his barns, build bigger ones and sit back and take it easy. Some would say that is a good plan. God did not think so. As a matter of fact, the man died that very night and did not get to enjoy any of the proceeds. The opposite of greed is giving. Had he given God credit, had he given to the poor, he would have kept his life.