Four Hundred Texts on Love (Third Century) 10

18.  The self-indulgent person loves wealth because it enables him to live comfortably; the person full of self-esteem loves it because through it he can gain the esteem of others; the person who lacks faith loves it because, fearful of starvation, old age, disease, or exile, he can save it and hoard it. He puts his trust in wealth rather than in God, the Creator who provides for all creation, down to the least of living things.

19.  There are four kinds of men who hoard wealth: the three already mentioned and the treasurer or bursar. Clearly, it is only the last who conserves it for a good purpose – namely, so as always to have the means of supplying each person’s basic needs.

I’ve never been particularly interested in the esteem of others, so that one probably doesn’t describe me. The other two descriptions of those who love wealth for other than a good purpose? I fear they do. Obviously the fourth describes the way we should hold wealth — loosely and in trust. That also seems to describe the healthy church we see very early in Acts.