Thought of the Day 10.29.09

Virtually all American Christians would acknowledge that greed is a problem. It’s just not our problem. But why is greed so bad? Well, greed is being overly concerned about money as a result of basing our identity in material acquisitions. And since only God’s love of us can give us real significance, building our self-image on possessions is a form of idolatry.

But it recently became clear to me that thrift can be just as problematic. Thrifty people are either trying to maximize their material gain (which is just a smarter version of greed) or else they’re safeguarding their money as a way of gaining security. But just as significance only comes from God’s approval, security only comes from God’s providence. Thus, trusting in our wise use of money is yet another a form of idolatry.

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us to neither care about things nor to care about tomorrow. It’s a doctrine which equally stymies those of us who are greedy and those of us who are thrifty.