Day 6 Seven Silent Killers: Greed

Morning Manna — Tuesday, October 20, 2026 — Seven Silent Killers: Greed Grabs, God Gives, Day 6

Opening Good morning, Cornerstone family and faithful listeners. It's a Tremendously Terrific Tuesday. Yesterday we talked about sloth and I asked you to pull one thorn. If you made that call or opened that Bible, your field already looks a little better this morning.

Today we take on a sin our culture often calls wisdom. Greed. Our title this morning is Greed Grabs, God Gives. Scripture Reading Our text is Luke chapter 12, verses 15 through 21. A man in the crowd has just asked Jesus to make his brother split the family inheritance. Jesus answers with a warning and a story.

"And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' And he told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, "What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?" And he said, "I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." But God said to him, "Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.'" (Luke 12:15-21, ESV) Teaching The Symptom. Let's start with the symptom. Greed rarely looks like a cartoon villain counting gold coins. Greed looks like planning ahead. Being responsible. Getting ahead. It shows up as "When I get a little more, then I'll give." As checking the account balance with a knot in your stomach. As a shopping cart that never stays empty. As the feeling that enough is always one raise away. And greed has nothing to do with how much money you have. A man with very little can be greedy. A man with plenty can be generous. Greed is a grip, not a number.

The Scripture. Now look closely at this rich man. First, notice where his wealth came from. Verse 16 says the land produced plentifully. He did not make the rain fall or the seed grow. God did. The harvest was a gift before it was ever an investment.

Second, listen to how he talks. I will do this. My crops. My barns. My grain. My goods. My soul. Count them. The man says I and my over and over in three short verses. And notice who he is talking to. Himself. He thought to himself. He said to his soul. There is no God in this conversation. There is no neighbor in this plan. Only bigger barns.

That is the heart of greed. The problem was never the barn. Farmers need barns. The problem was that nobody else made it into his plans. With a surplus God put in his hands, his only question was where to keep it, never who could use it. Then God speaks. This is one of the rare places in Jesus' parables where God Himself speaks directly. Fool! This night your soul is required of you. The man planned for many years. He did not have one more night. And God asks the question that should stop every one of us. The things you have prepared, whose will they be?

You have heard it said that you never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul. Everything in the barn stays behind. Jesus says the real question is whether you are rich toward God.

Notice too the word Jesus uses at the start. Be on your guard. That is the language of a soldier on watch. Greed does not knock and announce itself. It slips in quietly, dressed as common sense. So Jesus says stand guard against all covetousness. Not some. All.

The Cure. So what is the cure? Hebrews 13:5 gives us the first half. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Contentment does not come from having enough stuff. It comes from having God. If He will never leave you, you already hold the one thing you cannot lose. And the second half of the cure is generosity. Paul says God loves a cheerful giver. Greed is a closed fist. Generosity opens the hand. And here is the beautiful part. You cannot hold on to God's gifts and receive more from Him with the same closed fist. An open hand gives, and an open hand receives.

Paul told Timothy, godliness with contentment is great gain. That is the only kind of gain that goes with you when you leave this world. Today's Step: Open Your Hand Today, give something away that you did not plan to give. Buy someone's lunch. Send a gift to someone who is struggling. Hand off an item you have been keeping in a closet you have not opened in a year. Put an extra gift in the offering this Sunday.

And before you make any purchase today beyond the basics, pause and ask the question the rich man never asked. Who else is in my plan? Greed grabs. God gives. Today, give like your Father. Closing Prayer Let's pray. Father, every good thing we have came from Your hand. Our jobs, our homes, our health, our harvest. Forgive us for the times we have talked to ourselves about our stuff and left You out of the conversation. Loosen our grip, Lord. Free us from the love of money. Teach us to be content because You will never leave us nor forsake us. Open our hands today. Show us who needs what You have placed in our care. Make us cheerful givers, rich toward You and generous toward others. Thank You for Jesus, who though He was rich, became poor for our sake, so that we might become rich in Him. We pray in His name. Amen. Sign-off: Tomorrow we take on gluttony, the story of a man who sold his future for a bowl of soup. I'll see you on the call. ________________ Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.