The Bible holds out to us a promise that is almost too astonishing to be true: the idea that the Creator of the universe—the Eternal One who reigns supreme over all of existence—is a being you can come to know personally. But how? How can a person come to really, really know God? How can you create an actual relationship with your Creator, experience His involvement in your life, and come to understand His will, purpose, and designs for you?
A dairy farmer in the state of Maine is facing the financial ruin of his 100-year-old dairy farm because milk from his cows was proven to be tainted with harmful chemicals from a questionable source (Reuters, March 19, 2019). Subsequent testing showed the harmful chemicals are present in ground water and soil on the farm, and public health officials believe the contamination is associated with a fertilizer program that the farm participated in from the 1980s through the early 2000s.
In 2016—the most recent year for which global statistics are available—roughly 9.5 million people died from heart disease (World Health Organization). About six million died from stroke and three million died from lung diseases. The same year, the top ten causes of death worldwide resulted in just under 31 million deaths.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has apparently warned his top generals in a secret meeting that “there will be a war with Israel this summer and that he may not be around to support them”—because he and other top officials may be killed by Israel in the near future (Jerusalem Post, April 21, 2019).
We can all desire a commodity, an improvement or achievement, without being driven by greed. Greed is more than desire. It is, as the definition stated, a craving for MORE than one needs. It is often associated with a desire for acquisition, position or recognition at any expense, regardless of whom it may harm. There are some in society who view greed as a positive motivator of Western economic development. Is it possible to determine if our present society has a problem with greed?