There is a lot of writing about the rampant consumerism in America and growing throughout the world. I've written about it in the past, here and a number of other places when dealing with politics and injustice. Skye Jethani wrote the book on its negative influence in the church. CNN just had an article declaring greed the last taboo. Which doesn't really make any sense, but there it is anyway.
Anyway, I just wanted to use this opportunity to remind us all that we need to find our identity and sufficiency in Jesus alone. Here is another article from Time. The point is that materialistic people are less happy in marriages. The suspected reasons, since these people find more pleasure in possessions rather than people they put their time and energy into getting stuff, rather than in the people around them. There is truth in that. Take Ecclesiastes 2 for example
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem[a]as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
Solomon was one of the few people who could afford everything his heart desired, (tho Americans definitely try) and yet it was all unfulfilling. He was not satisfied with everything so long as his heart was not set on God.
Nothing else satisfies, and chasing after it destroys our other relationships. Therefore guard your hearts and minds from this insidious idol, this greed that seeks to control.
Showing posts with label victory over sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label victory over sin. Show all posts
Friday, October 14, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Illustrious
My posting has been anything but. However I'm gonna start posting illustrations here for my own future reference and if anyone else wants to post them. As I read I'll rewrite them, not verbatim and only reference the book not pages.
The cockapoo and the pitbull
Once there was this cockapoo (cocker spaniel/poodle mix) that was a long time resident of a couple who then decided to get a pit bull as a puppy. The cockapoo did not like this uninvited guest in the least and bullied the puppy into submission, even as the pitbull outgrew the cockapoo it didn't dare challenge its former tormentor. One day the cockapoo got some gum or something in its hair and needed too get it cut off. Well upon his return he started walking around as if he owned the place, but the pitbull saw this skinny shaved dog prancing about in his house and jumped his housemate with the full force of a pitbull. At that moment the relationship changed forever...
In the same way, Satan is a parading pretender and we don't live in the victory that Christ has won for us. Instead we are bullied, and beaten down under the weight of our sins when we should really be reminded of the power of God's grace and not our own weakness.
The second is about submission. Say a car and 18 wheeler are driving down the highway, but soon a lane is merging in and the 18 wheeler is in the lane that is being merged. The big massive truck is the one that needs to yield due to nothing more than its position. It is required to follow the rules in order to avoid a big mess. In the same way we are all called to submit in lots of situations, the most talked about one is wives to husbands. Less talked about are the biblical commands to submit to God, (James 4:7) Pastors and Elders (Hebrews 13:17) Gov't (1 Peter 2:13-15) and Employers (1 peter 2:18) as well as children to parents.
Both are taken from PB Wilson's liberated through submission
The cockapoo and the pitbull
Once there was this cockapoo (cocker spaniel/poodle mix) that was a long time resident of a couple who then decided to get a pit bull as a puppy. The cockapoo did not like this uninvited guest in the least and bullied the puppy into submission, even as the pitbull outgrew the cockapoo it didn't dare challenge its former tormentor. One day the cockapoo got some gum or something in its hair and needed too get it cut off. Well upon his return he started walking around as if he owned the place, but the pitbull saw this skinny shaved dog prancing about in his house and jumped his housemate with the full force of a pitbull. At that moment the relationship changed forever...
In the same way, Satan is a parading pretender and we don't live in the victory that Christ has won for us. Instead we are bullied, and beaten down under the weight of our sins when we should really be reminded of the power of God's grace and not our own weakness.
The second is about submission. Say a car and 18 wheeler are driving down the highway, but soon a lane is merging in and the 18 wheeler is in the lane that is being merged. The big massive truck is the one that needs to yield due to nothing more than its position. It is required to follow the rules in order to avoid a big mess. In the same way we are all called to submit in lots of situations, the most talked about one is wives to husbands. Less talked about are the biblical commands to submit to God, (James 4:7) Pastors and Elders (Hebrews 13:17) Gov't (1 Peter 2:13-15) and Employers (1 peter 2:18) as well as children to parents.
Both are taken from PB Wilson's liberated through submission
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