Bonus Bite-“Greed or Avarice” from Glittering Vices by Rebecca DeYoung

Glittering Vice # 4 — Avarice What do Ebenezer Scrooge, King Ahab, Lot, and King Midas all have in common? They all give us a clear picture of the vice of avarice. They put themselves first. Did Scrooge even see Tiny Tim? Did Ahab understand why Naboth said ‘no deal’? Why didn’t Lot insist that Abram have first choice on the land? Why didn’t Midas appreciate what he had? What causes this unquenchable desire for more, more, more? Horace’s pithy quote packs a punch, “The one who is greedy is always in want.” Sadly, greed corrodes the virtue of generosity and also leads us to shun the claims of justice. “Our greedy tendency to trust in wealth for happiness and security undercuts our trust in God.” In Glittering Vices, Rebecca DeYoung puts it in a nutshell, “Those with well-entrenched avarice are willing to use people to serve their love of money, rather than using money to serve their love for people.” Our attachment needs to be to God, the great provider and we should NOT seek to take over God’s role. When we give to others we are offering the world a picture of God’s heart. “Detaching from material goods means using them as a means to a great end which is attachment to God and to fellow human beings.” Please join us as we try to flesh out a strong desire of the flesh…by knowing our own weaknesses we can struggle to be free from the grip of this vice. Good-bye greed, Hello trust!