Recently I was discussing with a friend the effects materialism has had upon the church. In the western church the pursuit of the things of this world is disguised as “The American Dream.” Essentially this “dream” is a vindication of a lifestyle that is dedicated to the pursuit of “stuff.” Now, it is true God expects us to work diligently and always to the best of our ability, but the end game is not so that we might accrue more wealth but rather that we bring Him glory in the process. Sadly, the evangelical church in this country has bought into the lie that money can protect one from the evils and unpleasantries of life. As hard as we may try to avoid it, the thought that money or goods will protect us and provide us with safety and security and insulate us from the problems of life still finds its way into our decisions. That belief has led to time and energy being devoted to the pursuit of material that would otherwise have been devoted to the Lord in service to Him and His body the church.

The writer of Hebrews makes a very interesting connection along this line in Heb 13:5-6. He says, instead of being in love with money we are to be content with what we have. But he goes on to say what we have is Jesus Christ. If we want to live so as to be safe and secure in this world we must place our trust in Him. We must live with the confident assurance that our condition and circumstances are in His control. In the midst of the most difficult of problems it is not money that will get us through, it is Jesus Christ. God has promised us His presence and His assistance. He must be where we turn to in times of trouble knowing that whatever we face God has sent us for our good and His glory. We should be careful to regularly examine our thinking to see where the love of money has influenced us and be quick to confess it and get our thinking in line with God’s on this matter.