MATERIALISM: What do I care? I'm dead!

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

1 John 2:15-17

CNN’s FringeMail reports … a coffin company in Indiana, eager to sell more merchandise, has derived 101 uses for a wooden coffin. Your Coffin Company builds and sells home decor items such as bookshelves, coffee tables, wine racks and entertainment centers -- all made out of coffins.

God says we should not covet the things of this world. All too much and money is spent on things. The truth, as revealed in Hebrews 9:27, is this “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”

Christianity, Illustrations,
Materialism, Religion

THERMOSTATS: And other things that set the pace!

“choose for yourselves whom you will serve”

Joshua 24:15

A thermometer reflects the temperature of the room; a thermostat adjusts the temperature for the room.

God has too many children who are more like thermometers than thermostats; what he needs is a house full of the latter.

Like Rip Van Winkle, the church is asleep … when it awakens the world will be so hostile to her that it will find itself an impotent representative of an omnipotent God.

John Curran said, “The condition upon which God has given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime, and the punishment of his guilt.”

Our culture reflects a nation running so hot on relativism, materialism, voyeurism and depravity, that it’s screaming for those who have the courage to march on the wall of opposition. We need those with guts enough to adjust our nation’s temperature, rather than giving in to the pressure to reflect it.

The church is imitating secular society at an alarming rate. Increasingly we are adopting secular views which seem good and feel good; gleaning, as it were, here and there, as the world’s spirit moves us, ignoring the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth!

Christianity, Church health,
Illustrations, Religion

RENEWAL: A Permanent-Fresh!

“but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”

1 Corinthians 6:11

Not too long ago, we were fascinated with the development of “permanent-press” fabrics; now, thanks to a major advance in textile technology, we will soon have “permanent-fresh” fabrics.

While this sounds like more frills on an already materialistic and pampered society, it is in fact quite an advance. Gang Sun, the developer, said, “Anti-microbial fabrics have great potential for … hospitals to prevent the spread of drug-resistant diseases ….” Hospital gowns, bedding and dressings will be adapted to reduce the spread of disease-causing bacteria and viruses.

Consumers would “charge” the permanently-fresh apparel by laundering it in a mild mixer of chlorine bleach. The garments would then be periodically “recharged” (much like rechargeable batteries) through rewashing.

This new technology solves the single greatest problem facing anti-microbial materials – durability. Scientists found it easy to attach the new chemicals to the fabric’s fibers; but keeping it there had been another matter. Typically, the chemicals were thrown out with the bath water.

In contrast, the new N-halamine coating thrives on laundering, being recharged with fresh chlorine atoms at each washing, recharging the garments to 100% of original potency. [“A new idea that doesn’t stink,” The Washington Times; August 30 - September 5, 1999, p. 2]

Because man has the Law written in his heart [Romans 2:14-16], most feel a strong need to do well; he’s tried every avenue he can think of to save himself. Yet the world assaults him, washing away whatever righteousness he has developed on his own. Doing what they believe is good is not the problem, the problem has been to get it to stick unto salvation [Romans 3:23 (see also 3:10-18)].

Those who are washed in the Blood of Christ have been made permanently-new [Romans 11:29; 2 Corinthians 5:17]. Not only is the original washing good for all eternity, it’s recharged to 110% with each washing [1 John 1:8-2:2].

Christianity, Illustrations,
Religion, Renewal

Materialism

The Paradox [Haggai 1:3-7, 9; other topics = Contradiction, Glory (God’s), Sanctification]

Have we not built taller buildings, but developed shorter tempers ; built wider roads, only to gain narrower views; purchased more, but possess little; spent more, and enjoy it less.

We’ve bigger houses, smaller families, and more conveniences, but less time to enjoy them; acquired degrees, with less wisdom; procured more knowledge, but abandoned common sense; groomed many experts, yet we’ve more problems; developed better pharmaceuticals, resulting in manifold health-phobias.

We’ve increased our possessions, but lowered values. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, but not life to years. We love too little and hate too much. We’ve been to the moon, but not to our neighbors. We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space; we clean the air, but pollute the soul; we’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice; we’ve higher incomes, but lower morals; we’re long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are times of tall men, with short character; Mt. Everest profits, and Dead Sea relations. We now have two parent incomes, giving us single parent children; elegant houses, but pathetic homes. This is a time when man has much in his catalogue, but nothing in his distribution center.
A paradox is a contradiction which retains its truthfulness. Relativism has brought the world to the brink of global government yet with an “emperor has no clothes” mentality.

We go ahead and buy what looks or sounds good even though we suspect in advance it’s a facade.

We receive God’s abundant blessings, yet discover we are poor managers of them; we credit ourselves for the gain, and then receive God’s chastisement doing so.


The Wise Woman’s Stone [Matthew 6:19-21 other topics - Perspective, Treasure]

A wise woman, while traveling in the mountains, found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she encountered a hungry traveler. The woman opened her bag to share what food she had but the hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked if he could have it. She gave it to him without hesitation.

The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. A few days later, however, he returned the stone to the woman. ”I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I know how valuable this stone is, but I must give it back in the hope you will give me something even more precious. Give me what you have inside of you that enabled you to give me this stone.”

It’s not your possessions in this world that others need; rather it’s what you possess on the inside that they need.

[Author Unknown]

Treasure

The Big Rocks! [Haggai 1:6; other topics – Priorities, Idols, Lusts, Greed, World]

To make a point, a time-management expert gave his highly placed students a pop quiz. Taking a big wide-mouthed jar, he positioned it on the table in front of him. He then took several fist-sized stones and carefully positioned them in the jar until they reached the top. He then asked, "Is the jar full?"

Everyone looked at each other then, shrugging their combined shoulders, said, "Yes!" "Really?" He asked, as he pulled a bag of pea gravel from under the table. Taking the jar he cautiously poured gravel into the open mouth of the jar, regularly shaking it to get the gravel to settle. Again he queried, "Is it full?"

A voice from the back of the room whispered, "Probably not!" "Good," the expert said. This time he pulled out a child’s sand bucket and carefully poured sand into the open mouth of the jar, again shaking it to get the sand to settle. "Is it full?" He challenged.

"No!" A combined class voice responded. "Good," he said as he took the water pitcher from the table and filled the jar to the brim. "Is it full?" He inquired.

"It sure looks like it," replied several members of the group. "Not good," the teacher chided, as he took a sugar bowl from the table and scooped spoon after spoonful of the white crystals into the saturated sand mixture.

When the surface became clogged with sandy sugar, he gently shook the jar until it dissolved. He repeated this until the sugar bowl was empty. "What’s the point?" He prompted.

One zealous young executive blurted out, "No matter how full the schedule, there’s always room for more, if you try!"

"No!" The speaker shot out. "No! This object lesson teaches us two things: 1.) if we don’t put the big rocks in first, we’ll never get them in at all; and 2.) once the big rocks are in, an orderly introduction of everything else accomplishes more than a random introduction."

What are the big rocks of your life? God? Family? Ministry? Charity? Others? Dreams? Country? Education? Health? Or are your big rocks of your life the things of this world? The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the boastful pride of life?

If you sweat the small stuff you’ll fill your jar too fast, and with low priority things. Where your heart is there your treasure will be also. Where’s your heart?

Special Days

Spirit of Christmas [John 14, 16; other topics -Carnality, Christmas, Lust (of the World), Materialism, Spirit]

A couple of years ago my wife was getting a jump on the Christmas decorating; being an insensitive beast, I said, “Aren’t the decorations going up kind of early?” She said, “Oh, I’m just trying to get into the spirit!”

Her response made me think: half the world is unable to provide a decent living, home, or meal for their families, yet here we are putting up decorations worth who knows how much and all to celebrate what the world calls a lie; the “spirit” we’re “getting into” is the spirit of this world, and we’re trying real hard to get into it, while we should be trying to get the Spirit of God into us … or if He is already in us we should trying as hard to reveal Him to those around us; and if we put as much money and effort into reaching the lost or caring for the poor, how would the real Spirit of Christmas be manifested? Christmas is coming again this year, PTL; let’s keep it holy because He is holy!


Mother’s Day [Various Scriptures; other topics - Compassion; Drugs; Responsibility; Welfare]

For the thinking and feeling person it comes as no shock when we read things like the following.

In a LA Times story, by Times Staff Writer Sylvia Pagan Westphal, it was reported that, in the drug-culture, "mother’s day” takes place the first week of every month. It's the day when welfare checks are issued in Los Angeles County.

Drug dealers anticipate “mother’s day” and stock up to raid the extra cash. The day is so named because the checks have traditionally gone to welfare-mothers. Social workers and physicians who see low-income substance abusers are well aware of the phenomena.

In a New England Journal of Medicine study released in early July, 1999, it was revealed that more than 4,000 additional deaths occur during the first week of the month as compared to the last week of the preceding month.

You don’t end a person’s problems by feeding it. There is an amazing difference between the welfare of the man in the parable of “The Good Samaritan” and the welfare our culture engages in; take them to Calvary for “by His stripes are they healed.”

[Adapted from “Study Links Welfare Paydays to Rise in Drug Deaths,” Los Angeles Times, Thursday, July 8, 1999, A17]

Social Issues

Equally Hurt [1 John 2:15-17; other topics - Equality, Godliness, Roles, Sexes (Battle of), War (Cultural)]

A survey by MSNBC, September 1999, [1] asked the following question: are men really miserable? The survey offered four possible responses:

• You bet. They're expected to live to an impossible set of standards. (17%)
• No way. Men are just fine the way they are. (7%)
• It's all the feminists’ fault. (7%)
• Men and women have been equally hurt by a culture that values fame, power, and money above all. (69%)

The survey accompanied an article by Susan Faludi, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Male, Wm. Morrow & Co., on how culture conspires to make men miserable. [2]

What I see revealed in the results of this unscientific survey is a lack of awareness and sensitivity on the part of the shakers-and-movers of our society, something seemingly not lacking among the general populace. I'm beginning to see that most Americans aren't as stupid or as relativistic or as materialistic as most politicians, entertainers, educators, media gurus, and society mucky-mucks make them out to be.

Clearly, most respondents are aware that we all share the blame for the appalling condition of our culture and that fame, power, and money are not the answers.

[Adapted from [1] approx. 5,300 responses as of 9/15/99; no margin of error was given, if any. [2] MSNBC, 9/15/99]


Nonetheless [Psalm 49:16-20; other topics - Evil, Perseverance, Regeneration, Tribulation]

The shootings at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas, reminded me of something I read a few years ago.

Wm. Bennett, Ronald Reagan’'s Secretary of Education, in a speech to the Heritage Foundation, shared a discussion he had with a Washington DC cab driver. The cabby, a native of Africa, was in the nation‘s capitol doing grad work; he told Bennett when he finished his studies he was going home, where it would be safer for his kids. He said he didn't want his daughter viewed as a piece of meat; he also said he didn't want his son to be " the target of violence from the hands of other young males." He said, "It's more civilized where I come from!"

This is the opinion of an African man concerning the greatest nation on earth.

Bennett also relates how a young Polish girl, here on student exchange, said, "When I first came here, it was like going into a crazy world, but now I am getting used to it." She compared the two countries in this way: "In Warsaw, we would talk to friends after school, [then] go home and eat with our parents and then do four or five hours of homework but now I'm getting used to it. I'm going to Pizza Hut and watching TV and doing less work in school."

Bennett says, "Something has gone wrong with us." [1]

The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators points out that during the last 30 years our population has increased 41%; gross domestic product tripled; while social spending rose from $144 billion to $787 billion ... a five fold increase.

Those figures sound good, don't they? Well, during the same 30 year period, we experienced a 560% increase in violent crime; a 400% increase in illegitimate births; a quadrupling of divorces; a tripling of children in single parent homes; a doubling of teen suicide; and a 75 point drop in SAT scores. [2]

None of this is encouraging news ... but we do have Good News; our voices just need to be heard [Romans 10:14, 15]. Who will go and tell them!

One young man tried to tell the shooter at Wedgwood, but it was too late and it cost him his life. Perhaps, as we reflect, we should wonder who our neighbor is and who we know that hasn’t heard the Good News while we still have time?

"Those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the abundance of their riches." [Psalm 49:6] surround us, yet they arena’t the shooters. Nonetheless, their intense and sin-filled materialistic, greed is the reactant that seems to send the shooters over the edge.

[Excerpted from "America's cultural decline," William J. Bennett, AFA Journal, April, 1994 … 16, 17[1]; Ibid [2]]