Americans are bombarded with advertisements and other media messages telling us to consume. There is always a new thing to buy, and there is always a new line of credit with which to buy it. It’s a never-ending cycle, because no matter how much we buy, we always want more. We have gotten away from considering what we need to live. We have no idea how much we actually need, because our only consideration is how we can fulfill our wants. We have access to so much stuff that we can only think about getting more.
The problem is that we believe the lies that materialism sells us. Materialism tells us that more money equals more happiness, and that everyone else is in debt so it doesn’t matter if we are. It tells us that our self-worth is tied to what we have and how we look. We follow those lies straight to bankruptcy, foreclosure, divorce and poverty.
Why don’t we learn from the wisdom of the past? Countless people from generations before have spent their lives chasing material things, and they all report that, in the end, those things weren’t what really mattered.
Solomon, who was possibly the wisest and wealthiest man in the Bible, tried to figure out if he could find true meaning and happiness from material things, and concluded this:
“So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.
“Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:9-11)
Solomon obtained every material pleasure available to a person in his time, and although he got some temporary pleasure, he was left with the realization that none of it had any meaning, and it was just a lot of wasted effort.
Three major lies are at the heart of our financial struggles. By responding to these lies with God’s truth, we can achieve financial peace and freedom in our lives.
There is amount of money you can have that would completely satisfy you.
You’ve probably had the thought “if only I made [enter amount here], I’d be content.” We look at our finances and debts, and convince ourselves that if we could just get to that magic number, we’d be comfortable. Then you get a promotion, and without you even realizing it, your expenses grow with your increased salary, and even though you may have more stuff, you aren’t in a better financial situation than you were before.
There is no amount of money that will truly be “enough.” The human appetite for wealth and possessions only grows as it is fed more and more. The only way to be satisfied is to gain a full appreciation for what you have right now. If you can’t be satisfied now, you probably never will be. When you feel yourself falling for this lie, respond with the following truth: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10, ESV)
Being in debt with a lot of stuff is better than financial freedom with few possessions.
Most people have the ability to purchase many more things than they can actually afford. If you have good credit, you can get approved for a mortgage that may be $100,000 more than you can actually afford to pay month-to-month. You may not have the cash for the newest phone, but you can finance it into payments that seem reasonable on the surface, but which actually rob you of financial freedom.
It is much better to have fewer possessions and more financial freedom than it is to have all the possessions in the world while trapped in suffocating debt. Debt has a way of taking the peace and enjoyment out of your life, and the items you purchase with debt will only serve as reminders of the bills you can no longer afford to pay.
Before making another choice that increases your debt, remember that “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7, ESV)
The next thing will make you happier than the old thing did.
There’s nothing like that feeling of driving away from the dealership in a brand new vehicle, is there? It’s clean, shiny, smells nice, and it brings you plenty of compliments from friends and family. For the first few weeks or months after buying the car, it makes you happy every time you get in it, no matter where you’re going.
After a while, however, once the new car smell is gone and there are a few dents, and after the kids have spilled food and drinks in the back seat, and you’ve had to take it in for repairs, it doesn’t make you so happy. So you begin to think that if you trade it in and get a new car, it will make you happier than the current one does. As a result, you dig a little deeper into the hole of debt so you can recapture that feeling of happiness, only to realize you don’t feel much better about the new thing than the old thing.
New-possession feelings are fleeting. Whether it’s a car, house, phone, pair of shoes or piece of jewelry, don’t expect any new possession to take you to a higher level of happiness. At best, you can briefly recapture the same joy the original item brought you, before it quickly fades away. Stop accumulating debt by chasing that high.
The joy that comes from the accumulation of possessions is temporary. The only joy that lasts is the joy of loving God and loving the people in your life.
“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19, ESV)
No matter how pervasive materialism is in our culture, it is not God’s will for your life. Immerse yourself in God’s truth so that you can spot the lies materialism sells you, and so that you can live a life that glorifies God through generosity, peace, and financial freedom.
Article submitted by Aaron Colen:
Aaron Colen is a copy editor for the Dallas Morning News, a freelance sports reporter for the Denton Record-Chronicle and a published blogger. Formerly the Sports Editor for the Chickasha Express-Star and freelancer for The Sports Xchange wire service