DON'T LET THINGS GET THE BEST OF YOU

The affluence of the American way of life is a mixed blessing. On the positive side, our prosperity has made life easier and has freed money to spread God's Word. But on the negative side, prosperity requires much of our time and attention. In fact, the urgency of our materialistic lifestyles becomes a tyranny that demands most of our energies.

Demand has grown. A couple of decades ago the American dream was simply a good job, a comfortable home, and a nice car. Today it has become guaranteed employment, retirement and medical plans, a home, two cars, a summer cottage, and college education for all the children.

Purpose has changed. The initial purpose of material things is to make our lives easier and more comfortable. But it's amazing how complicated they can become. (E.g. A family wants to spend a relaxing vacation in the mountains, so they buy a summer cottage in that area. Then they find they must spend most of their free time keeping it repaired or protected from vandals. The experience often is so bad they end up loathing the very thing they thought would make life easier and eventually they sell it.)

Things have become the scorecard of success. The make and model of the car you drive becomes important, as well as the number of TVs in your house, and the size of your TV screens. We tend to value people for what they have, not who they are.

We forget the needs of others. A real danger of material affluence is that we begin to think everybody has it. Yet many people in this world go to bed hungry and wake up hungry. They are not lazy or evil - they are poor. (Mat. 25:45) Most indifference is passive; we don't personally know any poor people. Giving to feed the poor and homeless is a command, not a request.

The world's advice is faulty. The world says, "Whatever you see and desire, acquire. And if you can't afford it, there are lines of credit, home equity loans, and second mortgages." A debt-funded economy always fails because it violates basic biblical principles.

God knows best. God's Word says, "No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him as a soldier" (2 Tim. 2:4).

Establish a balance. There must always be a balance in the area of material things. God does not have an identical plan for any of us, and what one family spends is different from another. We must seek to reach the balance between using material things and being controlled by them. To do this, a Christian must establish that he/she serves Christ first and all other considerations come after that. That means that all of our actions should be heavily weighted to Christ's service first.

Keep your focus. For people who have committed themselves to an eternity with God, it's amazing how worldly our value system has become. The real purpose of our resources is to free us to do more for Christ, not less. When the pursuit of things becomes our focus in life, there can be no doubt about whom we serve. (Read Matt. 6:24, about serving two masters.)

Surrender is required. Nothing prohibits Christians from obeying God more than the tug of material comforts. Jesus always tested followers' willingness to surrender everything for God's sake.

Larry Burkett is founder and president of Christian Financial Concepts, Inc., a ministry dedicated to teaching and counseling on God's principles of finance. He is the author of How to Manage Your Money, Your Finances in Changing Times, The Financial Planning Workbook, and Debt-Free Living. Larry is a popular radio speaker and carries on an extensive CFC seminar ministry across the country.

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