Blogging BCM: My Heart and Materialism

Last night Tim talked about my heart and materialism and once again I was deeply convicted and challenged. Tim said at one point that "materialism is fundamentally a focus on and trust in what we can touch and possess." He said later that we're either a slave to God or a slave to something of this world. How challenging was that for you? I know for me it hit pretty hard. So often we get caught in this rut where we focus on our own desires, needs, longings, problems and shortcomings that we forget to focus all of our attention and trust to our Heavenly Father. Today I want to look at the verses I read from Hebrews at the beginning of BCM last night and examine how they teach us to live our lives trusting in God and not the materialistic things of this fading world. Hebrews 13:5-6 says:

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

The writer of Hebrews begins by saying keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have. So often we as college students focus on the tangible, the things that can be bought with money. We need the newest clothes, the newest movies, the newest books (OUCH!) and the most expensive food. For us it's about an experience. We want our young, college years to be an experience we will never forget. These are the last days we won't have to worry about real life finances and the things that are rapidly approaching upon walking across the stage to receive our degree. So what do we do? We love money. We love possessions. We love new things. We love expensive things. Why? Because we really don't have much to worry about. We are told in these verses though the complete opposite. To keep ourselves from the love of money and to be content with what we have. And why are we to do this?

Because He will never leave or forsake us. It is this part of the verses that explains that our love of money, our problem with not being content, is because we're worried about not having enough. The writer is telling us here that we have a trust problem. We fail to realize the full reality that Christ is there and will provide all our needs. So instead of trusting in Him, we trust in the tangible, earthly, materialistic things. We are told though that He is there, and thus are told that we have nothing to worry about. And what happens when we fully trust and realize the fact that because He will never leave or forsake us, we can be completely content?

We can confidently say “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” So often our materialism, our sinful desire to acquire more and more is a problem in our relation to others. We think that if we acquire more or if we have more money, others will like us and fail to see our brokenness. When we come to the realization that God will never leave nor forsake us, and thus fight against the love of money and start being content with what we have, we stop pleasing others. When we trust fully in our Father, we will realize that man cannot do anything to us. If we have the outlook of "what can man do to me?" we will no longer seek to be materialistic, but seek to glorify God in everything. Recall the verse I've shared in the past couple of posts. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

This applies to our possessions too. Whatever we do, whatever we buy, we do all to the glory of God. So when we buy clothes, are we buying to the Glory of God? When we go out to eat, are we doing it to God's glory? When we buy books, movies and whatever else, we must purchase to the glory of God. At the end of this series on our heart and these issues, we must come to the final realization that the problems that arise between our heart's desires and the things of this world are ultimately a glorification problem. Are we going to give glory to the things of this world are we going to give glory to whom all glory is due...God!

Questions to focus on in your own personal devotions:

1. Study Hebrews 13:5-6, Ecclesiastes 5:10-15 and 1 Corinthians 10:31 and mediate on how they relate to materialism and our heart's desires.

2. What things do you have a problem with getting in the way of you glorifying God the way you should?

3. Focus on the activities Tim gave for you to do throughout the week in relation to my heart and materialism.

As always, if you need anything and are struggling in any way, do not hesitate to come and speak to Tim or I. We are always available to listen and talk.