Affluenza, Part 6: Spending and Materialism

We continue looking at ways to be vigilant against the deception and destruction of greed, considering Jesus' parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. The last 2 posts of the series suggested we recognize our unique vulnerability, and guard against all kinds of greed. Here are numbers 3 and 4:

3. We need to get our financial house in order.

It is not greed to carefully think about, manage and budget your money. If you're not planning how you're going to save, what you're going to spend your money on, how you're going to give, then you are more—not less—susceptible to the impulses of greed. And an important part of avoiding slavery to money is making sure that you are managing your money, and that your money is not managing you.

An important part of making sure that we are not living for money and being driven by greed is making sure that our financial house is in order—we have a plan; it's in alignment with God's priorities; and we're sticking to it.

4. We all must push back against materialism.

In today's world, we face a constant onslaught of advertising and enticements to believe the lies of greed.

Parents, our children are being targeted at younger and younger ages. Think about this: From 1980-2004, the amount spent on children's advertising in America rose from $100 million dollars a year to $15 billion a year. We live in a culture that is built on and sustained by greed. This culture has a vested interest in making sure that you and your family continue to be ruled by wanting more.

In light of this, we can't be passive. We can't just stand still and try to resist the pull. We need to push back. We need to examine our lives, examine our homes, and find ways to push back against the lie of materialism that is ever-present. Where can we make do with less? Where are we senselessly going along with the consumer "more is better," mindset of our culture? Could we be more rich and generous toward God and others if we were willing to be more restrained in our spending habits?

Guarding against greed involves a tension. We are to enjoy what God has given us—God's Word tells us he gives all things for us to enjoy—but at the same time we must be watching for the presence of affluenza. That takes work. We need to get used to that work; we need to get used to that ongoing tension. We are not safe in this world from greed until we reach our eternal home, and until then we can't let our guard down.

Parents, are you training your children to have discernment about greed in their own hearts? Are you helping them understand how this culture wants to manipulate them? I want to encourage you to sit down and talk about these issues as a family. Do you operate with the mindset that you have to spend money to have a good time? Do we have to pay for someone else to entertain us? How can you push back against that mindset?

Also, are our conversations filled with discussion of what we want to purchase for ourselves? Let's seek to make our focus how we can be rich toward God instead. When you're driven by greed, you enjoy all the stuff you have less. When you turn your eyes to see God's generosity and when you begin to look for ways to express that same generosity, you're suddenly more aware of God's goodness and all the blessings that you have.

God is not trying to spoil our party. Do you think God is looking down and saying: "They've got too much stuff; I want to take it away from them; I want to make them unhappy?"

No. God wants our eternal joy. That's why he calls us to push back against materialism.