Answers
By BGEA Admin • March 17, 2023 • Topics: Money
Q:
My brother has been very successful in business and flaunts his wealth and success. It is breaking my mother’s heart. She raised us and worked a job after my father died young. She never made much money, but she provided a happy home. It grieves me that her son won’t lift a finger to help make her last years comfortable. She never complains and always gives him the benefit of the doubt. I don’t know which is worse, my anger toward him or his greed and selfishness. Does the Bible speak to these things?
A:
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Greed always exacts a terrible price. Those who think only of themselves are seldom, if ever, at peace within. The Bible warns against greed and selfishness. These are forms of idolatry because these things replace the worship of God.
Greed makes man a slave to accumulating wealth, and greed is repeatedly condemned in the Bible. Life is not a matter of dollars and investments, houses and lands, earning capacity and financial achievement. The Bible says, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own” (Luke 12:15, NLT).
Anger—whatever the cause—ends up hurting us. When we turn our anger over to Christ, He will fill us with His love for those who are defiant. We may not be able to change others, but we can change ourselves. The way in which we react to hurts and disappointments influences the shaping of our personalities, and for believers, our goal is to be more like Jesus. We must also remember that the most powerful weapon regarding another person is to pray for them, that God will change their heart through the knowledge of Him, which is found in His everlasting salvation.
(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
