Materialism

Scripture

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone lovesthe world, the love of the Father is not in him.

 ~1 John 2:15, LSB

Quote

“Materialism is the quietest and most pervasive religion in the Western hemisphere.”

~Charlie Kirk

I’m fairly certain you have heard the story about the frog in wash pot. They put the frog in the pot of water when the water was cool but without the frogs knowledge, they built a fire under the pot and the water slowly warmed. Warm water is comfortable and even hot feels good to aching bones, but the frog never sensed the danger and the creature never jumped out of the pot which means he slowly cooked to death. Materialism is like the pot, it is slow and subtle and yet from the devil’s point of view, very effective.

I am reading Charlie Kirk’s book STOP IN THE NAME OF GOD. I am a slow reader and I am currently reading chapter 5. Up to this point, I have felt pretty good personally but I almost wish I had not read chapter 5. Before reading I would have denied any guilt when it come to materialism. After reading Charlie, I am not so sure. Let me share some facts that he mentioned in the book. He has it footnoted but I am not going to waste time and space foot noting. If you have doubts, get the book, but I don’t think any of my readers will have doubts. Charlie says that we sacrifice a lot on the altar of accumulation. We are laying up treasures on earth when Jesus told us not to. America is the most prosperous nation in history. We work more hours and accumulate more stuff than anyone on the globe. Storage units are now a $40 billion industry. Our houses have increased in size by 30% and yet they are not big enough to store all our stuff. I used to make fun of those who have yard sales. A yard sale is an effort to get rid of stuff you no longer want to make room for the new stuff you are coveting. Here is America we don’t own our stuff—our stuff owns us. We are what we spend our money on. The danger is: our hearts get entangled with the fleeting comforts of this world. Is it possible to love comfort more than Christ? Is it possible or even likely that we love our stuff more than we love our Savior?

Materialism, like other gods, is not content to co-exist; it demands our time and attention. Americans are not only the most prosperous, we are the number one consumer. We make more and we buy more and yet we are the least content. How is it that the most prosperous is also the most anxious. We are number one in stress related issues such as depression. Our obsession to accumulate more has destroyed our peace, joy and sense of gratitude. We are over worked and over anxious. We have all but abondoned the Sabbath day. Less than 30% of church goers have conviction about resting on Sunday. We are violating one of the most important commandments to our own detriment. True wealth is not measured in how much we accumulate. This is exactly what Jesus says in Luke 12, “Life is not measured in the abundance of things one possesses.” The Rich Young Ruler loved his wealth. It was more important to him than anything else and Jesus knew it. This is why Jesus told him to give it away. It was the only hope this young man had because materialism was choking him to death. Jesus does not call us to poverty for poverty sake, but to save us from materialism. Jesus demands that we love Him more than anything else.

Extra

In a rush, David and I are headed to Huntsville for Bo’s surgery and to pick up fish and shrimp for Wednesday night. Have a great week.

Extra/Extra

Fish Fry April 8, 6:00 pm

Mem’s Breakfast April 11, 8:00 am

~National Day of Prayer May 7, 5:00 am-11:00 am {Grace Point has from 5:00 am to 6:00} We gather at the Associational Office on highway 31.