Monday, December 10, 2007

A Place For My Stuff

I was just talking to a couple of my buds this morning about material possessions from a Christian perspective, so I was glad to read Dan Edelen's post today.

He writes well (and sums up much of our discussion) in a piece called A Place For My Stuff:

But what if we Christians stopped with all the crazed consumption? Perhaps instead of twenty polo shirts, what if we had two? We could spend a little bit more for better quality and perhaps even buy American once in awhile. But most of all, we could learn to live on less, not because the economy stinks, but because Jesus gave everything, even His own life, so that we could get the focus off ourselves and onto others.

I guarantee you, right now, you know a family that had a medical emergency they cannot pay for and that emergency is crippling them, and not just in the pocketbook. I guarantee you, right now, there’s a family in your church with parents wondering where the next meal’s coming from. I guarantee you, right now, you know a bright kid who may never make it to college because they simply can’t afford to go. I guarantee you, right now, you know a family ready to lose their modest home because of job loss.

I can’t help but think that, for many of us, the enveloping spiritual malaise we feel may have a direct connection to being overwhelmed by all our stuff. Perhaps if we did a better job living with less, giving away our excess, and considering others better than ourselves, then maybe, just maybe, we’d feel that spiritual fire in the belly again.

We can’t take it with us. Better to give it away or forgo it altogether than have our souls crushed beneath a pile of stuff. I suspect that in saying no to accumulation, we can say yes more often to those real needs we encounter every day in the lives of the people we meet.

Maybe then we’ll find our coffers here pleasantly small and our treasure in heaven immense.

7 comments:

Zack said...

amen

The Campbells said...

Good thoughts...
Difficult to "think through"...

Is there a balance between "war-time giving" and "regular life"?

I mean...if I REALLY lived off of simplicity, wouldn't I learn to always expect to have one car, to car pool and take all of the extra insurance, gas, and money that would be used to purchase the second vehicle...and give it away?

Would I stop buying music...even the $15 a month could be used in a 3rd world nation in a much more meaningful way.

Would we stop having $20...or even $10 date nights, and instead go hiking, drink coffee at home, play board games...etc... taking that saved money to give to missions, others in our neighborhood in need, human relief projects?

How to live a simplistic life, to "deny" ourselves the physical pleasures in this life for the physical needs of others; as well as the spiritual gains of our own in the next.

That's a huge question. George Muller lived a great example of this...is it a universal calling for all believers to walk this way? Or just for a few to live that way?

Chris Robinson said...

this is good stuff. i particularly appreciated the shoe picture. nice touch.

@ the universal calling thing. I think to live simply is for every Christian. I think there is a difference between the universal call to not be completely wrapped up in our own lives (not limited to but including financially) which we are all called to (Rebukes to rich people who stay rich while others are starving are all over the Bible) and the call to poverty which is quite different but still a valid way to follow God.

I'm struggling with this myself. I seriously believe that the average american Christian should own 80% less than they do. I think its a sin when we ignore whats going on around us and buy boats and new cars and mansions and big screens. Yet I'm typing this from a computer that cost more than millions of people make a year. Hypocrite anyone?

The Campbells said...

definitely vibing what you wrote Chris.

I wonder at times what God thought of Abraham, or Job...who were not only wealthy, but whom God made wealthy again after tragedy.

Zack said...

I really resonate with what you guys are talking about here...

I grew up fairly 'poor' -- by american standards -- and went into college with the desire to be 'successful' and accumulate stuff to show the world that..I could I guess....

And along the way the Lord really convicted me about living intentionally through every choice I make.

But let me throw this 'balance' out: we (humans) are very, very, very prone to religion and pride. Jesus said that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, but I wish He had said pride, because it would match up better with my experiences so far...

And every season in my life when I have ever gone really far down the road of 'poverty', I have reached a point when I realize that I'm really proud of it, and it negatively affects my relationship with God.

I haven't had a whole cup of coffee yet, and this isn't coming out the way I want it to... I'm just saying that there is a balance to this.

Our ethic shouldn't be 'What does the most good for the most people?' It should be 'What is the Holy Spirit saying to me right now?'

Agree?

Zack, I'm about to post a link to this discussion....

The Campbells said...

Not sure how well fleshed out this will come...taking a quick break between finals, but this seems to be a great dialogue.

I've thought a lot about balance vs. sacrificial living/giving in the past, and I'm not sure one way is right (black & white)...but I think I lean more towards the sacrificial living/giving.

I've never really been able to think of any times where Christ taught balance in the Bible. There are passages that say you're to take care of your family or you're like a heathen...but nothing about keeping "creature comforts" for self available.

Christ living the lifestyle he did. Paul working to pay for his ministry but not having much. Christ telling the rich young ruler to give away all that he had and to follow Christ.

The "big one" however that I see modeled in the early church is in acts 2:44-46:

"All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need."

I read once (I'll have to find where) in an early church history book about the Roman leader at that time being at a loss. He was persecuting the early church, but was facing backlash from his actions from the pagan citizens of rome. Why? Because the Church was SO generous in their giving to ALL who were in need, that they were taking better care of the needy citizens of the empire, than the empire itself could.

I know what you mean Zack when you write Our ethic shouldn't be 'What does the most good for the most people?' It should be 'What is the Holy Spirit saying to me right now?'

However...what has the holy spirit already said to us through the Word?

To give, to provide, to go above and beyond what people ask of us for. Do we give to all missionaries that we see actively and biblically engaging other cultures? Do we give to other ministries in abundance?

I've asked myself this holiday season...what if I don't ask for an espresso maker...or the new book/cd I want...but ask that that money be given away instead to someone who is really in need. It's hard stuff to consider.

I agree also about the danger of pride and "I live in poverty for the sake of the gospel". However, if I'm really giving to see the greater good served...to see His name made known more widely...than when I recognize that pride in my heart I would hope that I would ask for God to remove it, to cut it out, to renew and sanctify that area of my life more thoroughly.

A final thought as this has become rather long... Piper has a message of this nurse who was "disqualified" from going overseas due to health reasons. So she decided she'd live minimally...and that with any raise/extra money she received, she would use that to send others. As her life goes on...she winds up being able to support like 10 missionary families overseas by her sacrificial giving.

That's radical living and giving to me. That's giving that says this life has nothing for me, and Christ is SO much to me that I'll do WHATEVER it takes to preach Him to others who have not yet heard.

Humbly written as someone who's trying to figure this aspect of my life and walk at this present time.

Chris Robinson said...

"Our ethic shouldn't be 'What does the most good for the most people?' It should be 'What is the Holy Spirit saying to me right now?'"

I agree with the heart here. Not just acting but figuring out what God wants...but the Bible is pretty clear on feeding the poor. We are supposed to do it. In america we fit into the category of the rich people who are profiting while workers go unfed. We're those bad guys. I agree with the campbells on the issue of "balance"...we have the resources to change the world overnight. I just can't see Jesus (the guy we're following, right?) picking up a wii or a bigscreen or a nice car on ANY day that thousands of people people died of hunger (which is every day).

Its easy to get comfortable and talk about balance... but to think that literally a person. more people than i know are dying right now because they don't have food. That the salted peanuts I paid 3 bucks for could have fed them and I wouldn't of missed them. They're dying and I'm snacking.

I'm not saying we should quit our jobs and give everything away. Then we would be starving and so would everybody else! Work is necessary but luxury is not...A car is (probably) necessary but a nice or even decent one is not. A house is necessary but a large one (or even one per family) is not.

The Bible's pretty clear...we are NEVER supposed to choose luxury for ourselves over someone elses life.