Greed.

"It is difficult to save money when your neighbors keep buying things you can't afford."

-Anonymous

"You can't sell the cow and have the milk too."

-Anonymous

"He that serves God for money will serve the devil for more of the same."

-Anonymous

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul."

-Jesus, Mark 8:36 NKJV

"A greedy person tries to get rich quick, but it only leads to poverty."

-Proverbs 28:22

Have you ever made a list of what you would do if you won a million dollars? I have. I have friends who need cars, houses, and could use an anonymous gift of several thousand dollars. It would be lots of fun secretly giving money to meet needs in the lives of these friends. I would hope that an all-of-a-sudden-financial-landslide would not change me. I would hope that it would make me more generous and not greedy. Unfortunately, lottery winners who come into the big, big bucks often become some of the biggest losers in the financial arena.

Not very many people win the lottery, but of those who win, many lose all their winnings and end up with less money than before they won. Some winners were simply foolish, some were greedy, some had greedy relatives and friends, and some fell prey to thieves and crooks. Here are some of the stories of people who won the lottery then lost it all:

William Post - In 1988, William won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery but now lives on his Social Security. Post's former girlfriend sued him for a share of his winnings and one of his brothers was arrested for hiring a hit man to kill him, hoping to inherit a share of the winnings. His relationship with his other siblings was also strained and he spent some time in jail. Within a year, he was $1 million in debt and eventually declared bankruptcy. He now lives on only $450 a month and food stamps.
Willie Hurt - In 1989, Willie Hurt of Lansing, Mich., won $3.1 million. Only two years later he was broke and charged with murder after spending his fortune on a divorce and crack cocaine.
A Southeastern Family - In the early 1990s, a Southeastern family won $4.2 million. In almost no time nearly all of their winnings were spent on a huge house, cars, and various requests from family members. They bought a huge house and succumbed to repeated family requests for help in paying off debts. Eleven years after winning, the couple got divorced, the house was sold and what was left of their lottery winnings had to be split.
Kenneth and Connie Parker - Kenneth and Connie won a $25 million jackpot and quickly watched their 16-year marriage disintegrate just months after they became rich beyond their wildest dreams.
Jeffrey Dampier - Jeffrey won a $20 million jackpot and was then kidnapped and murdered by his own sister-in-law who hoped to inherit the winnings.
Jack Whittaker - On Christmas morning 2002, Jack found out he had won the Powerball lottery jackpot - $315 million - the largest individual payout in US lottery history. Though he began with intentions to do good with his winnings, his world quickly fell apart with the death of his granddaughter Brandi from a drug overdose which was funded by her allowance from Whittaker and the breakup of his marriage. Whittaker did give money to churches and to people who were in need but was soon bombarded with lawsuits, thievery and greed. He turned to drinking as he watched what he called the "powerball curse" destroy his life.

Winners? Probably not. I'm sure there are some who win the lottery who experience life as normal afterwards but these folks experienced greed and tragedy afterwards. Their greed and the greed of others only led to poverty. "A greedy person tries to get rich quick, but it only leads to poverty."

Jesus said, "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store up treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they can be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be" (Matthew 6:19-21).

Jesus also said, "If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving--large or small--it will be used to measure what is given back to you" (Luke 6:38).

Greed doesn't make us wealthy. Greed makes us poor.

Keeping doesn't make us wealthy.

Giving does!