Consumers?

Ever heard of the phrase ‘too much of a good thing?’ How much is too much for you? And how much of a good thing is too much? At what point do we say enough is enough?

I’ve been thinking about this recently. A lot. I believe God has been challenging me to think about how much I consume. I feel like this one of those moments when I stand up in a support group and say ‘my name is Ray and I am a consumer.’

I’m not being flippant here either. I think we need to confess that we are consumers. God has given us an amazingly wild, diverse beautiful place to live. Our consumption is destroying it. And it’s because we have believed in the lie that more is better. The latest phone, the newest car, the most up to date fashion. The must have toy. More is better is what the world tells us.

The Gospel is that we find our value, our purpose, and our satisfaction in Christ alone. Paul writes in Philippians 4:19 ‘And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.’ It seem hard when everything is telling us that more is better. But if we take God seriously, we will look at the things we do and say and spend our money on and ask the question ‘Is God enough?’ If the answer to that question is no, then we need to come to God and repent and ask to be shown a better way.

Revenge?

We’ve talked about not seeking revenge because revenge is only God’s to give here on Walking the Way, but I’ve never thought about how I would feel if the revenge I so desperately wanted was to be inflicted on someone. How would I react if the person who has done me harm came to what I think of as their just reward? Would I be happy and gloat? Well the Bible makes it clear that rejoicing over the downfall of your enemies is a no-no.

And actually that’s quite hard because  think our natural inclination is to maybe not rejoice but certainly take a certain amount of satisfaction when those who have hurt us get their just rewards. And then I think about the grace and forgiveness of God and how God has extended that grace and forgiveness to me. And how God expects me to do the same to those I class as enemies. We were God’s enemies, but he chased us down and saved us. Think of the witness if we do that to those who hurt us and are now being hurt. ‘No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.”’

 

Poverty

Proverbs 10:15

Wealth protects the rich; 

poverty destroys the poor.

 

Thought for the day

The author Terry Pratchett once wrote that the difference between rich and poor people was their boots. Rich people can afford to buy boots that last a lifetime, poor people end up spending what little they have, on constantly replacing the cheap boots they have to buy because they can’t afford better boots. And it’s an interesting take on today’s verse about wealth and poverty. But the question of wealth and poverty is a difficult one for Christians. Growing up in Southern Africa I was very aware of vast differences in wealth distribution. Even here in the UK, the differences between the wealthy and the poor are everywhere if you know where to look.

In the Scriptures wealth is a blessing but it is a blessing that can and will for many people become an idol. Go read the account of the rich young man (Matthew 19:16-30). But like many of God’s gifts they are given out as he chooses. There will be believers that have to struggle for every penny, relying on God for everything. Jesus reminds us that poor are blessed because the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. What we need richer believers to do is support those poorer believers. This is a biblical model that we see in the book of Acts where the early church sold their possessions and gave the proceeds to the Church. Because they recognised that poverty can and does rob, steal and destroy the poor. James writes in James 2: ‘If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?

God gives us talents, gifts and blessings so we can share them with others. But we are called to support those who have little but maybe dealing with poverty begins with buying someone a better pair of boots.