Materialism

How materialistic are you? 

Christ says that disciples only have two choices: to follow God or to follow money. “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) The scriptural warning is clear. We will be judged on the evidence of our material lives more than any other thing. The attraction of materialism is so great that Christ devoted two-thirds of His parables to warning His disciples about it. The writers of the epistles amplified that teaching by warning of the destructive force of materialism in the lives of believers. Material things aren’t the problem. It’s materialism: the belief that worldly possessions will satisfy.

A  preoccupation with possessions, wealth and physical comfort distract us from fully serving Christ by taking up our time, attention and resources. Let me assure you that those who are seriously seeking God are not attracted by getting stuff. They’re attracted to a Savior who redeems their broken lives. Just know that the more things that we accumulate the more they demand of us. They need protected, maintained, insured, and taxed. A terminal illness changes one’s perspective on material things instantly. God wants us to live with that kind of perspective. Our lives do not consist in the abundance of stuff. Everything belongs to God. We are only short term stewards.

Now if credit card debt is a problem for you, contact Christian Credit Counselors. They can help you make a pay-off plan and learn how to avoid debt in the future. Learn more at crown.org/ccc or call the Crown Help Line at 800-722-1976.