Your Stuff

According to the American Almanac, even though the United States has only 5% of the world’s population, we consume 26% of the world’s energy. We  run our air conditioners, our washers and dryers, our TVs, our DVD players, our computers, our hot water heaters, our microwaves, our refrigerators and freezers, our electric lights, our stereos, our cell phone chargers, our answering machines, our electric razors, hair dryers, curling irons, treadmills, and soon our electric cars.

So, our economic status separates us from the rest of the world. Because we use 26% of the world’s energy, we are leaving only 74% of the world’s energy to the remaining 95% of the world’s population.

This tells me we own a lot of stuff. Unbelievers and believers alike own a lot of stuff. Do you know that believers spend an average of $4.5 billion a year on “Jesus Junk”. Having stuff and buying Jesus Junk is not evil nor will having it keep you out of heaven. It just opens up a bottle neck of questions. How much stuff do we need? How much is enough? Why do I like to accumulate and hoard things? Why are we never content with what we have. Why do we get so emotionally attached to our stuff that we can’t give it up? Why do we get more stuff when we already have a bunch of stuff?

In light of the last blog entry, the ultimate question is ….. “How much stuff do I need to accomplish the dream God has given me?”

As you look through the scriptures one would learn that owning and having stuff is not the problem.

• Job was wealthy man. He owned a lot of stuff. But his devotion was to God
• Abraham was a wealthy man with flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. He is the father of faith. His devotion was to God.
• Jacob had a multitude of sheep and cattle and camels. He keeps the story going. His devotion was to God.
• David was a wealthy King. He was the apple of God’s eye. His devotion was to God.

They were focused on their mission on what God called them to do.

• Their mission was to keep the story about their being only one true God alive.
• Their mission was to convince the rest of the world that there is only one God.
• Their mission was to influence their culture and those around them.
• Their mission was to keep God in the face of mankind.

They put more trust in HIM than they did in their fortunes and possessions. They listened for God. They looked for God. They longed for God.

That’s the difference between owning stuff and your stuff owning you. You can’t serve your stuff and God. It is physically and spiritually impossible.

The parable we are about to look at points to the greatest obstacle to accomplishing the dream God gave us last week.

We need to remember from the last blog entry that ……

• God’s dreams have nothing to do with personal happiness.
• God’s dreams have nothing to do with personal success.
• God’s dream have nothing to do with personal fulfillment.

God’s dream for us is taking all the resources we have available to us an investing it in the life of others. Why do we invest it in the lives of others?  Because we want others to experience the love of God. The love of God is the only thing that can change the heart of man. One of the ways that people experience the love of God is through the love of another human being.

This parable tells us about the main culprit that keeps God from accomplishing His dream through us.

Luke 12:13-21  (NLT)
Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Greed is culprit!

The Roper Organization asked Americans who make $15,000-$30,000 how much they needed to fulfill all their dreams. The largest group said they’d need $50,000-$60,000. Yet when that same question was put to people earning over $50,000, the largest group in that segment said they’d need at least $125,000 a year, if not more.

We always seem to need more. We need more time. We need more money. We need more of this and we need more of that. A lot of Christ followers say, “if only I could win the lottery I would give 10% of it to the church.” My assessment:  If you are not giving 10% now you will not give 10% later.  If only I had more time then I would be able to invest in others. If only my schedule allowed me to participate I would show up and volunteer. The scriptures teach us that God doesn’t need our time, our money, or this or that or even our stuff. Many Christ followers think that. What he needs is …. Your heart! Not more of your heart. Just your heart. Because when he has your heart the rest of it follows. 

Listen to this story about Gladys Holm. She never married, lived alone, and worked as a secretary her whole life for a medical-supply company. For 41 years she worked as a secretary, never earning more than $15,000 a year, She lived in her 2 bedroom townhouse. She became known as the Teddy Bear Lady, because she sort of adopted the Children at Memorial Hospital in Chicago after they saved the life of a little girl named Adrian. Gladys knew Adrian’s parents for years and was a friend of the family. When Adrian was born, she was blue faced. Born with a blocked aorta enlarged heart with a hole in it. Most doctors thought she was too young for surgery but a physician at Children Memorial saved her life. So Gladys would send donations now and then, always adding “There will be more later.” Gladys would bring teddy bears for kids who were sick, sometimes bringing dozens of Teddy Bears. Her house always had some teddy bears lying around. She died recently at age 86, and only about 30 attended the funeral. Yet she left money for them to eat at a fancy restaurant across the street with one stipulation, “Talk about good times.” The most amazing thing was, however, when she died she left $18 million dollars to the hospital. Largest gift it ever received. How did this woman make so much money. She didn’t spend it all on herself. She threw a few luxurious parties and bought expensive jewelry, but she gave to help others. On $15,000 a year. Whenever her boss would buy some stock of the medical supplies company, she bought a few stocks for herself. Needless to say, the stock company went through the roof. She would often use the teddy bears as a way to get close to the families and when she would learn that the illness was putting a heavy strain on the families finances, she would quietly pay all their medical bills. Most of the time, the people didn’t know the source of the gift.
She lived on less so others could benefit. She didn’t ask that her name be put on the new hospital wing so everyone would see how generous she was. She didn’t show everyone how much money she had so that people would be impressed with her possessions. She gave out of her life to help others.
God had her heart.

The only thing that matters to God is not how much we make or how much we give . But he does say you are a fool if you store up earthly wealth. What matters to him is the condition of your heart. What he needs is our heart! (PERIOD) The rest will follow. 

The more stuff you have the harder it is to build that rich relationship with God because your stuff demands your attention as well. What puts your stuff in perspective is a rich relationship with God. God was always meant to be our first love. If He is our first love our other loves will fall into place.Think about it is this way. If my wife  just had 80% of my heart and Sally had 10% and Harriett had the other 10%. Just how rich would our relationship be? NOT VERY. 

What matters to God – and this God’s dream for each one of us – is to have a rich relationship with Him. When you have a rich relationship with him he will give you a new heart and he will put a new spirit in you. He will turn your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender responsive heart. (Ez. 36:26)

When you have a rich relationship with Him – he gives you a generous heart. When you have a rich relationship with Him – investing in others is your top priority. When you have a rich relationship with Him – you trust that he will provide everything you need.

Greed keeps us from having a rich relationship with God. It is not about making a lot of money. It is that ongoing belief that if I can only get enough money, if only we can get that one thing I can be safe and secure. It is that longing for more that is never satisfied. You never are content what you have. Greed steals the dream God has for us. Because of our longing for more stuff we never notice the needs around us or if we do notice we don’t have the resources to meet the need.

Except for the kingdom of God, Jesus spends more time talking about your stuff and what to do with it than any other subject. A person’s attitude towards their money or possessions in relation to giving for support of ministries, the poor etc is a very accurate physical barometer on the reality of a person’s faith and trust in God. That saying, “put your money where your mouth is!”, completely relates to matters of faith. If your going to be stingy and hoarding of this form of power and control in your life (money), how can you honestly say that God can really do anything with you in this life, because to do that, he requires total submission to His will.

What is this saying? In a nutshell, if you can’t give at least 10% of your income to the church. If you can’t help the poor  then you have a greed problem.

What we do with our resources is a direct reflection of whether God has your heart.

Does he have YOUR heart?