Yesterday we discussed frustration that sometimes comes along with generosity. Our generosity does not always create the desired outcome we hoped. This can easily hinder our generosity moving forward. Another thing which robs us of our generosity is a myth of our culture that money and stuff will make us happy.
If you are reading this in the United States, you live the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. No nation has ever possessed the things that we possess. But for all the stuff we possess, it still is not enough.
We live in a culture of consumption. We are a nation of spenders more than savers. The message of the media is that things will make us happy. So we hoard our possessions and spend on ourselves. Many of us have clothes in our closet that we don’t wear. Stuff in our attic that is unused. Items in the storage units that we don’t have enough room for in our homes. We are like the rich fool who stocked up his barns. While he stocked up his treasure, he was not rich towards God (see Luke 12:16–21).
The reason we buy into the myth that things will make us happy is because the advertising media is very effective at what it does. The advertising industry has been doing what it has been doing for a long time. It has learned what works and what doesn’t. It knows how to convince us that we need things that are not necessities.
So we rack up consumer debt. We work long hours to “pay the bills.” We chase the empty promise that more stuff will bring us happiness and security. But when God puts a calling upon our heart to give, we can’t give because our money is tied up paying off our debt. When God leads us to go and serve him, we realize we don’t have the time because of the demands of our work. Inevitably we then feel guilty because we are unable to give what we want to give.
When we find ourselves in this place, the response is to go back to the source. When driven by a consumer mindset, go back and ask, “what is the driving me?” Consider what is motivating you to buy and spend. Are you playing the role of the fool and being conned by the slick advertising media to part with your money? So many of us blindly follow the gods of consumption to our destruction.
If you have found yourself going down this path, today is a new day. The gift of God’s grace is free. It is not something you can buy. Although buying is much more natural for us. Martin Luther stated:
If God were willing to sell His grace, we would accept it more quickly and gladly than when he offers it for nothing. – Martin Luther
The message is to stop buying the stuff and start receiving the grace. The less we rely upon our storehouses, the more we see God in everyday circumstances. When we realize that it is not our money that provides for us, we see how God comes through.
The truth of God frees us from the myth of the culture. The slaving for and the storing up of stuff will never be enough. But resting in his grace and letting go of all that we possess by giving it over to his purposes will always be more than enough.
Thought for the Day
How are you relying on your money and stuff more than the grace of God? How can you let go of the grip that money and stuff has upon you?
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