We have accountability in lots of areas in our lives and in the church; whether its with addiction, weight problems, sexual sin or even shopping. One of the areas where I feel like the church is losing its battle is in the area of materialism. When was the last time your close friend asked you, “How are you waging the war on materialism?” OUCH! Just that question alone is convicting to me. We all struggle in this area, whether it’s being content or dealing with comparison or in other ways. We need to ask ourselves what we are doing to wage war in this area. What are my kids learning from my actions and words when it comes to possessions? And most importantly, how am I living in light of this? When I think about raising my boys and training them up to be godly men it can be an overwhelming responsibility and also one that compels me to be intentional with the way I walk and talk. I want to empower them by the Word of God to wage war on this struggle in our culture. What are some practical ways your family is waging war on this issue? How are you personally walking that out?
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I think the issue, perhaps the deepest part of the issue, is with trust. A couple of years ago I was hiking the Oregon Coast Trail (400+ miles, about 2 months), when about 80 miles to ending my budget was down to $7. I was experiencing a bit of worry, a bit of uneasiness as to how this was going to work out. How I was going to eat and so on. Any distress I might have been feeling is I think the same thing that leads us to desire the accumulation of materials. We feel that if we do not continue getting more – climbing higher – we’ll be in trouble.
But when I let go of those worries, I saw that I was perfectly alright. I saw that I had nothing to worry about. I had new friends I would meet at campgrounds every night. Campers were always incredibly sharing of whatever food they had. I had shared my food many times, and others shared with me. I wasn’t hungry, I wasn’t thirsty, and if it came down to it, sleeping beneath the stars would be perfectly alright. It was as though that having very little money, I found what I might call true materialism. Not a desire to get things, but an appreciation for the materials that are here now.
Great story Jack! Thank you for sharing.