2006-12-15
Good Morning Cherished of God,
The very difficult subject of materialism in the North America of today has tremendous impact on the ethics, lifestyle, and spirituality. Many people have made a idol out of the acquisition or material wealth, basically replacing their faith in God-if they ever had any. If that sounds cynical, it is meant to awaken us to the need to be good stewards of the wealth we have and to learn to differentiate between wants and needs. With faith in God, there is no need to worry about these things. PS 37:11, "But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing, and shall have wonderful peace." Without faith, the evil one sets up a stronghold in people's lives leading them to a lifestyle of competition for wealth with neighbors and hedonism.
Such was more and more the case in the wildly unrealistic stock market of the seventies and the eighties. And then, the nineties hit is with a slap so hard that it was at times reminiscent of the depression of the thirties. Businesses began the trend of "downsizing." Droves of people in their early fifties found themselves out of work, replaced by young MBA's with no experience or the jobs simply eliminated. Many production jobs disappeared, which had been the staple for people without much college education. Auto companies, for example, were reducing the work force and/or closing down manufacturing plants altogether. Companies were struggling to remain in business. We saw some like International Harvester, Eastern Airlines, and others failing entirely and going out of existence. People who had invested heavily in the stock market were losing money. And we mustn't forget the companies that failed due to lack of ethics on the part of their upper level brass, companies like Enron, for example. People were asking, "Where is God?" Our Lord was there all the time, and allowed this kind of chaos to go on as a mid-course correction in our lives. Many were too angry, worried, and frustrated to see it. Those with faith knew about HE 4 :16, "Let us boldly approach the throne of our gracious God where we may receive mercy and His grace to find timely help." Those without faith, felt dire hopelessness and utter despair.
Before we wonder what this has to do with Christ's Sermon on the Mount, let me reiterate MT 6: 19-21, a part of it. "Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are." This passage gets to the heart of what we need to understand about materialism and its relative importance to things of the Spirit. Learning to trust that God will provide was a lesson I personally had to learn. And, I learned it with a lot of pain. My own husband was "downsized" not once, but from two different jobs. This had nothing to do with his productivity or his relationships with his co-workers. In both cases, his employer had come to believe in profit first and foremost, without regard for the lives of those working to produce it. At the age of 52, Peter was "downsized" from his employer of 19 + years, for whom he had relocated out of state more than once to serve. As in many other cases like his, he was too young for early retirement. The economic impact on our family was severe, and we were forced to eventually sell our home with the possibility of not being able to buy another smaller one. We had become accustomed over the years to being able to travel to see our family, all of whom lived across the country from us and to living a financially comfortable lifestyle. This came to a dramatic halt. God knew we were people whose faith needed to grow, particularly myself.
By the grace of God, He worked it out for us to move into a town home and to keep some of the books and other material things that we had. The rest was sold in several garage sales and through ads in the paper. God had decided that it was time for us to look to Him and to believe that He would keep His promise to provide for our basic needs. After all, God had given us His only Son on the cross for our salvation (with our faith in Him)[JN 3: 16]. How more basic a need can He provide? It's been nine years now, and God is still providing for our basic needs. My husband has changed careers, gotten some experience in his new career, but we still find ourselves in considerable financial stress. With God at the helm, our lives have centered more on Him than ever before. I relate this story in the way of an introduction to this segment on materialism. In the devotions to come, we will look at some Scriptures which God has given us to help us deal with our financial and material issues. We will return to MT 6: 19-21 a number of times to see why nothing material or anything else in life matters more than our relationships with God and with the others around us. Two passages come to mind. PR 3: 5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." PS 46: 10, "Be still and know I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
PRAYER: O Lord, there are times when the only way we will stop straying from You is for You to teach us hard lessons through the circumstances of our lives. We are really that stubborn! Throughout all, You never stop loving us, nor do You abandon us. From as far back as Moses' time, God has told us that. DT 31: 6, 8, "Be determined and confident. Do not be afraid of them [enemies of any kind]. Your God, the Lord Himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you...the Lord Himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose courage or be afraid." Dearest Father, You have made it Your goal to force us to know You better and to realize the importance of putting You at the center of our lives. Long after Moses' time, Paul wrote in COL 3: 3-4, "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when He appears, then you too will appear with Him and share his glory!" When Your word is read in the original language, Your different names are revealed. These reveal Your attributes to us. Many people, especially in the wealthier countries, have strayed from You, making material things their idol. Some have wrested wealth from others for political power. This displeases You greatly. That is why Ezra wrote, in EZRA 8: 22-23, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him. So we fasted and petitioned our about God about this and He answered our prayer." The promise that You make to provide for our needs is still in place. Christ addressed Himself to our worries in MT 6: 31-34, "So do not start worrying: From where will my food come? Or my drink? Or my clothes?' (These are the things about which pagans are always concerned). Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all these other things. So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings." Paul too was inspired to weigh in on this issue in PHIL 4: 19, "And with all His abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all Your needs." We offer You praise, thanks, adoration, and worship, because You deserve it. You are a loving God Who will not allow Your faithful children to be defeated. We offer You our love and willingness to be faithful. In Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Next week, we will go on examining the issues having to do with materialism and how God interacts with us on them. In the meanwhile, the Holy Spirit directs me to include this wonderful reminder for those feeling frustrated about issues connected with materialism in their lives. PS 55: 22, "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit honest men to be defeated." We belong to our Lord and believe in Him. From my own long experience in watching Him at work in my own life and that of others, I can witness first-hand to the enormous work He does in the lives of believers to perfect them and strengthen their faith in Him. My very valiant and faithful husband has set the standard for faith very high in our household by his example in reacting to what happened to his career. As he was being told the first time that his job was being eliminated after 19 years, he heard the voice of God telling him, "Your worth is not from what job you have or how much money you make. It is from Me!" The truth of that can't be over-emphasized. I had a lot to learn at the time and can't report that my reaction in the beginning or our trouble was as honorable and faithful as Peter's was. In the intervening nine years, I have learned that lesson. In heaven, how much money one makes on earth or how many degrees appears after one's name is written won't matter much. What will is what kind of person we have been by God's standards. That's worth some thought.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn