Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Have you ever bought something you really wanted and then that purchase led to more purchases? Maybe things you hadn’t even considered?
It goes something like this:
Gentlemen, you really want a private place to watch sports without being disturbed, so you carve out a man cave with a TV and recliner. But before long, you need memorabilia for the walls and a minifridge for beverages. Or ladies, you buy that beautiful new dress, but it isn’t complete without a necklace, earrings, purse, and shoes.
This is what is referred to as the Diderot effect: when something you purchase leads to buying more and more sh…tuff. While neither of these things is wrong, we can get into trouble when we overvalue them. If we aren’t careful, our shtuff can easily become our identity.
The world tells us we are defined by our possessions; large houses and fancy cars are indications of happy, successful people. This is the myth of materialism. The truth is the more we have, the less we tend to trust God to provide for us. Instead, we place our trust in our own abilities to provide and in our stuff to make us happy.
Mark 10:23-25
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.”
In 1987, U2 recorded the song, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” This could easily be the theme song for many who seek happiness through possessions. If we put our hope in this world, we will never find what our hearts truly desire—the Kingdom of God.
The idea of giving away everything I own is disappointing. The good news is that God doesn’t really want us to give up our nice things, he wants us to give up the value we place on them and, instead, put him first.
In the end, it is not our possessions that define us, but rather, that we put Jesus ahead of it all. If you do that, I promise you won’t have to say “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”
Questions:
Are you placing too much value on what you own?
What would you do if you were told to give up everything you own to make it into heaven?
How much value do you place on your possessions versus Jesus? Are you allocating your time and finances accordingly?
Next Steps:
Continue watching this series. Make plans to attend Halloweekend, and invite a friend to join you!
Prayer:
Lord and Savior, you have placed bountiful blessings on this earth for me to enjoy. I know you want me to have nice things, but please give me wisdom and strength to properly prioritize my stuff and not let it define me. I am your child, and I put my hope, faith, and trust in you, first and foremost. Help me to avoid the trap of always wanting more things and, instead, focus on the true happiness that only you can provide. Amen!
Series Theme Verse:
John 16:33
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
This post was written by Ned Miller, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.