Tyranny of Possessions

A friend told me that he listened to an interview with Bruce Springsteen recently. The question was asked: How different is your life now that you have gone from making $50 a concert to $500,000 a concert? Bruce replied, "When I was making $50, I had $50 problems. Now that I make $500,000, I have $500,000 problems."

There is a lot of wisdom in that answer. I often reflect that if only I could live as frugal as I did in college... I would be able to give and save a lot more. I have a love/hate relationship with possessions. I am fond of how some of them make my life easier and more convenient- microwaves, air conditioning, computers to name a few. But I don't like how unwise purchases have consumed money, time and energy.

I watched a dvd tonight on a fellow financial planner's- Bill Robertson- recommendation. It was a sermon delivered by John Piper to Campus Crusade for Christ students a couple of years ago called Don't Waste Your Life. There is a book by the same title- both are excellent. The dvd was a powerful reminder to reject the system of thought in our society to accumulate things and to instead live a strategic life that seeks to maximize my ability to be used by God through giving time and money to spread the gospel.

I heard a preacher deliver a sermon recently that emphasized the 80-10-10 rule. Save 10%, give 10% to the local church and then enjoy the other 80%. Most people don't come close to giving 10% of income or saving 10%. But what terrible advice to those who are blessed with abundance... to consume 80%. This is anti-scriptural. The Bible promotes simple lifestyles with an emphasis of generosity to others.

Possessions are dangerous things. They want our soul. They are like leeches- eager to suck the life out of us. We need to war against desires to accumulate things we don't need. Possessions will become our master if we don't fight and strive against them- Jesus told us this (Matt 6:24; Luke 12:15).

Having nice things isn't wrong by itself. It often is a better financial decision to buy quality and quality is not cheap. It is usually a quantity issue that destroys the soul. We must continually ask ourselves: How much is enough? Those who desire to serve and glorify Christ must be careful not to allow possessions to distract our focus from Him and the mission that He has given us.

2 Timothy 2:3-4, "Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the One who enlisted him."

May God grant us the grace to realize and practice this spiritual truth.

Ashley Hodge