Do not eat the food of a stingy man ...for he is the kind of man who
is always thinking about the cost (Proverbs 23:6-7 NIV).

Some of the greediest people I have met were, at one time, needy
themselves. One would think that in their present circumstances they
would be sensitive to the needs of others. Instead, they hoard their
plenty as they once clung to their little. Once they would boast of
how much they would give if wealth were theirs. Now that they're
wealthy, they are as stingy as before.

The motivation behind this curious behavior is fear. The issue is not
just whether money is their god, but whether money is more trustworthy
to them than God himself. Like the stingy man in the verses above,
they're always worrying about whether they will again be poor. They
fail to realize two things: first, God sustained them when they were
poor. As Rabbi Sha'ul (Saul; i.e., Paul) knew so well: "I have learned
the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well
fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Philippians 4:12
NIV). Second, they forget that, "he who is kind to the poor lends to
the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done" (Proverbs 19:17
NIV). This truth teaches the opposite of what they fear and should
lead us all into generous behavior.

Greed can rule us whether we are poor or wealthy. Whatever your
financial condition, the time to conquer stinginess is now.

I will...replace the fear that leads to greed with the trust in God's
faithfulness that leads to caring generosity.