The affluence of the American way of life is a mixed blessing. On the positive side, our prosperity has made life easier. It also has provided us with a great deal of money that could be used to spread Gods Word.
On the negative side, prosperity requires a great deal of our time and attention. In fact, the urgency of our materialistic lifestyles can demand most of our energies.
These lifestyles also require a lot of money. Thus, instead of meeting our necessities, enjoying some luxuries, and keeping our lives simple, we seek bigger and better things. The result is that we drain our surpluses, which could go to Gods work, and sometimes we have to borrow to get what we want.
Keeping up with the world is not easy. In fact, its a never-ending chase after things that could disappear overnight. But these things come at a high price, as weve seen in the last three decades.
Credit card debt has risen steadily in America. An estimated 75 percent of credit card users dont pay off their balances each month and owe about $6,000 to their card issuers. These card users spent an estimated $70 billion last year on interest charges and fees!
The debt burden carried by people using credit cards is just one aspect of what we call consumer installment debt. It also includes several other types of credit, including mobile home loans and auto loans. In July, consumer installment debt reached $1.259 trillion, an increase of 4.1 percent compared to last year.
Mortgage debt also has increased. It grabbed 30 percent to 40 percent of personal disposable income in the early 1970s. It now takes more than 60 percent of personal disposable income.
And our material desires also have led to legalization of gambling throughout our nation. More than 40 states sponsor some form of gambling as a means of raising money.
At the same time, Christian giving has dropped. It is now between 1.5 percent and 3.5 percent of income, depending upon the denomination.
Concern about the future The possession of things has become the scorecard to determine success in our nation. The pressure to provide the luxuries that now are common leads many Christian couples to encumber themselves with debts that eventually destroy their marriages.
Its not surprising that many couples look back on the early years of their marriages as the best, even though materially they were the leanest years. The difference then was that their focus usually was on day-to-day events.
Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34).
The real purpose of things God does not prohibit us from enjoying the benefits of this world; after all, they are His. But we are admonished not to become entangled in material things to the point at which we no longer can fulfill our primary purpose -- to serve God.
No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier (2 Timothy 2:4).
When the pursuit of material things becomes our focus in life, there can be no doubt about whom we serve.
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).
The five dangers of "things"- Adjusting to a life of indulgence as normal. It seems our material standards in the last few decades have become higher and higher. When the economy couldnt supply the things we wanted quickly enough, we simply mortgaged our futures to pay for them. However, Proverbs 28:20 warns, A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.
- Focusing on worldly success. For people who have committed themselves to an eternity with God, its amazing how worldly our value system has become. Yet, Colossians 3:2 says, Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
- Dulling Gods direction. Nothing prohibits Christians from obeying God more than the tug of material comforts. Once we have adjusted to a lifestyle that includes many comforts, it is very difficult to surrender them and serve God.
But in order to be used by God in any capacity a Christian must be willing to serve God, no matter what the costs. Whenever someone asked Christ what was expected of a follower, He always tested that persons willingness to surrender everything for Gods sake.
- Adopting an attitude of superiority. You would think that knowing everything belongs to God would make even the wealthiest among us humble. But its sad what a little bit of material success will do to our egos and our pride.
Those who have been given responsibility in this life must be very careful to exercise it with great caution, lest they give up their eternal rewards for some temporary ones now. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself (Philippians 2:3).
- Indifference toward the needs of others. A real danger of material affluence is that we begin to think everybody has it. But thats simply not true. Millions of people in this world go to bed hungry and wake up hungry.
They are the ones Christ described when he said, Then He will answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me (Matthew 25:45). There are many truly poor people and legitimate ministries who care for them. Giving to feed the poor and homeless is a command, not a request.
A mere tithe (tenth) should not be our giving goal but, rather, our minimum. Each increase in our income should increase our outreach before it does our lifestyles, and we should be known primarily for our commitment to Gods work, rather than our display of material things.
