In an interview with George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars series, Bill Moyers asked, "Do you know yet what, in a future episode, is going to transform Anakin Skywalker to the dark side? Lucas replied, "Yes, I know what that is. The groundwork has been laid in this first episode. The film is ultimately about the dark side and the light side, and those sides are designed around compassion and greed. The issue of greed, of getting things and owning things and having things and not being able to let go of things, is the opposite of compassion.

In an article for Newsweek, David Gates wrote: “It’s the nature of addiction to sneak up on you in apparently harmless increments: during the initial stages, life would be about right if you could just add on that two-car garage. Toward the middle, it seems a little hard if you can’t have a Lexus and Boxster in it. Near the end you’ve got a Learjet and life is still intolerable.

Proverbs 1:19 NLT “Such is the fate of all who are greedy for gain. It ends up robbing them of life.”

In Brewster’s Million, Richard Prior plays a minor league baseball player who just inherited a whole lot of money from an unknown relative. Brewster is given 30 days to spend 30 million dollars and he can have no assets at the end of the 30 days. If he succeeds then he will receive 300 million dollars to keep. Here is the catch, he can’t tell anyone what he is doing or why. As he is spending this money all around town Brewster is causing a lot ruckus in the media and his name is everywhere. Anyone who meets Brewster changes their attitude toward him and they all the sudden become really greedy. Brewster get rear ended by some guy who begins to act hurt when Brewster tells the guy his name. Greed over takes this guy and he becomes dishonest trying to get some of Brewster’s millions. --Jim L. Wilson and Gabriel Rodrigo

http://movieclips.com/viYu-brewsters-millions-movie-fender-bender-payoff/

Greed is a feeling that most have or struggle with at some point in our lives. The next time you find yourself struggling with greed, call on God he knows what you need. Do not let the want for something temporal change the person you really are.

Proverbs 28:25 (HCSB) “A greedy person provokes conflict, but whoever trusts in the LORD will prosper.”

Authorities in Southern California say a thief apparently wanted a car so much that he stole it twice. Robert Ponti was arrested for stealing a 2005 Bentley coupe, after police spotted the expensive luxury automobile in a neighborhood of more modest means. They were suspicious and after checking the records discovered that the car had been reported missing. Ponti, who lived at the house, was taken into custody and the vehicle was impounded. Two days later, authorities learned that someone had tricked the attendant at the impound yard and the car had been stolen again. On a hunch, officers drove by the house where they had originally found the car. When they saw it in the driveway, they arrested Ponti, who was free on bond, and recovered the car again. Authorities say Ponti won’t get another opportunity to steal the Bentley. — Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell
Man stole same Bentley twice, authorities say, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/man-stole-same-bentley-twice-authorities-say.html, Accessed December 8, 2012.

Galatians 5:16 (ESV) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

“Five years after the name Bernie Madoff became synonymous with extravagant fraud, the only thing that makes him unique is the size of his swindle,” according to Al Lewis of Marketwatch.com, Ponzi schemes are discovered all the time. The scam is classic: “Lure investors with promises of solid returns with no risk.” The only reason we don’t hear about them is that “Madoff’s Ponzi was so large it ensures minimal attention for all the smaller Ponzis to con.”

These schemes only work because people are greedy for a get-rich-shortcut to building wealth. Believers need to remember the Lord’s warning to count the cost before beginning a venture.--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Hebrews 13:5 (NASB) Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"

“Greed is a basic part of animal nature. Being against it is like being against breathing or eating.” Ben Stein, quoted in FoxBusiness.com

While Mr. Stein may be correct about it being a part of our animal nature, the Word of God calls us to rise above the animal nature to the image of God in which we were created. There we will discover that greed doesn’t have to be a guiding force in our life. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Proverbs 28:25 (ESV) (25) A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.

Drivers in Maryland created a big traffic jam after the doors on an armored truck flew open spilling money along the highway. Police say a lock on the doors apparently malfunctioned and a number of drivers stopped to grab the lost cash. Officers who helped the driver recover the remaining money only picked up around $200. Authorities are urging drivers who picked up the cash to return it to the state police and warn they could face charges if they are found.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Drivers scramble for flying cash on Md. Highway,http://news.yahoo.com/drivers-scramble-flying-cash-md-highway-165004036.html, Accessed, October 31, 2014.

1 Timothy 6:10 (NKJV) “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” –Jim Carrey

With a net worth in the vicinity of 150 million dollars, the funny man actor finds that fame and fortune is not the answer to life’s ills.

A believer would agree with him on that part. Though Carrey does not say what the answer is, Paul in writing to Timothy explains that it is Godliness. “Godliness is a means of great gain.” -- Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

1 Timothy 6:6-10 (HCSB) But godliness with contentment is a great gain. (7) For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. (8) But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. (9) But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. (10) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

While Miley Cyrus is no longer a role model for young girls, there is one subject on which we ought to pay attention to her. She is only 22 years old but has already made a fortune. She complains that people from contractors to fellow celebrities are continually trying to get her to buy things she neither needs nor wants. Complaining of the materialism that infects the music industry she says, “People in this industry think, ‘I just gotta keep getting more money,’ and I’m like, ‘What are you getting more money for? You probably couldn’t even spend it all in this lifetime.’”

“The materialism becomes a kind of unfulfilling trap. People get more famous, so that they can make their brand more famous, so that they can sell more stuff, so that they can make more money. It’s a never-ending cycle.”

She concludes, “Those things don’t make you happy. I’ve experienced it all already, and I’m telling you firsthand, it doesn’t.”—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Greed

A woman who was hit by a drunk driver has filed a lawsuit seeking $4,600 to replace the clothes she was wearing at the time. She is seeking the money for clothing in addition to the cost of her medical bills. In a court statement, Susan Layne said the accident left her with bruises, scratches, and pains. Additionally, it destroyed her Chanel handbag, Prada boots, and a Burberry coat. Several local attorneys said they have never seen anyone seek compensation for designer clothes, but it is not outside the realm of possibility. They say a crash victim can be entitled to payment for their car or other possessions inside that were damaged, so she might be entitled to payment for her clothing and accessories.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Matthew 6:28–30 (HCSB) And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! ³⁰ If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith?

Do you want to conquer envy and covetousness? According to a study from Denmark’s Happiness Research Institute, maybe you could give up Facebook. The study found that people who gave up Facebook for just one week reported suffering less envy and being “more satisfied with their lives” than those who continued using the social media site. –--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Exodus 20:17 (HCSB)“Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Susan, a Canadian bride to be blamed her wedding invitees for “ruining her marriage and her life” when they refused to pay a $1500.00 fee to attend her $60,000.00 dream wedding. When only eight guests RSVP’d that they would come, she ranted in social media about how her friends were being unreasonable. When here fiancé suggested they get married in a more economical way, she refused.

One of her friends posted the following to her social media rant, "I have no words. You're out of your mind, Susan." —Jim L. Wilson

He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”

When six armed men in Belgium tried to rob a shop, the shopkeeper gave them some advice. He advised them that if they wanted to rob him they should do so at closing time when he would have more money. Incredibly, they agreed to postpone the robbery. The merchant then alerted police. When they returned an hour before closing, he convinced them it was too early. They left and returned a third time while the police were waiting. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Luke 12:15 (CSB) “He then told them, ‘Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.’”

An enterprising youngster from Minnesota was looking to get some candy. He wanted candy, and he wanted it now. So this 4-year-old boy took his great-grandpa’s SUV and took a joyride to the store. Sebastian Swenson backed the car out of a driveway and drove 1½ miles down a four-lane road at 15 mph during morning rush hour. He did hit a few mailboxes and ran into a tree, but Sebastian eventually pulled into a parking lot, where he was met by police.

The lad’s determination to get candy resembles the intense determination many of us have to obtain something we don’t really need. Think for just a minute about the lengths we go to have more. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Philippians 4:11–12 (CSB)“I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.”

Shana Becerra filed suit in federal court against Dr. Pepper because of deceptive advertising. Her claim stated that “She did not receive what she paid for.” Ms. Becerra claimed that after drinking Diet Dr Pepper for 13 years it has made no difference to her waistline. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed and unanimously dismissed her suit. The judges ruled that “No reasonable consumer would assume that Diet Dr Pepper’s use of the term ‘diet’ promises weight loss or management,” She also unsuccessfully tried the same ruse against Coca-Cola.

I don’t know if it was greed or the unwillingness to accept responsibility for her own actions that spurred her to file the lawsuits. Maybe she saw a way to combine the two and make a little money off of her own short comings. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Hebrews 13:5 (CSB) “Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.”