Mar 19 - Matthew 6:19-21

Do not lay up for yourselves

treasures on earth,

where moth and rust destroy

and where thieves break in and steal,

but lay up for yourselves

treasures in heaven,

where neither moth nor rust destroys

and where thieves

do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

 

In America, we spend. 

 

We spend and spend and spend. 

 

We accumulate. And even if reality show producers aren’t making a show about our collecting habits, most of us even hoard.

 

I was told years ago about a book of provocative photos. Photographers went around the world asking people to place every possession they owned in front of their home. 

 

In some villages, the sum total of their possessions wasn’t much more than a table, a chair, a bowl, and a change of clothes (for the main bread-winner only).  

 

What would your household look like out on the front lawn? Every old sock. Every sheet of paper. Every Christmas bulb from the attic. 

 

I hope this makes you realize that in America we have very mixed up definitions of “wants” vs. “needs.” We need a bowl and one change of clothes. Almost every other possession is a luxury. (Have you defined your possessions that way recently?)

 

Yes, we need a few other things too -- like a roof when it rains and some heat when it’s cold, but do we really need as big of a roof or as many square feet to heat? (We want them, and we like them, but do we need them?)

 

We keep going bigger and better and fancier and newer. (And then we store our excess in the attic.)

 

Why? For comfort? For status? To look our best? To feel better about ourselves? To make us “happy”? Think about this: How often do you replace perfectly serviceable items in order to keep up with newer styles? Do you ever hang onto extras because you fear that someday you won’t have enough? And isn’t it ironic for us to work more and more hours so that we can buy more time-saving devices?

 

Let me ask two critical questions:

 

·         Why do we keep borrowing so much ... when 99% of us Americans already have more than enough?

·         And why do we spend instead of give ... when most of us have enough already ... and it all belongs to God anyway?! (God himself says, “Will a man dare to steal from me? But [yet] you rob me! ‘You ask, “How do we rob you?” ‘By holding back your offerings. You also steal from me when you do not bring me a tenth of everything you produce” – Malachi 3:8 NIrV)

 

God does not despise wealth or wealthy people. But he hates to see us possessed by our possessions. So why do we keep accumulating treasures on earth?

 

QUESTION: see below.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who made

himself sick writing this

... I’m a hoarder. I have an addiction.

I have way more than I need.

(How about you?)

 

QUESTION: Where is your treasure, really? I urge you to make a monthly budget. Do it. Right now. You can simply use round numbers. But here are some basic items:

 

·         Food  $________

·         Housing  $________  

·         Utilities  $________

·         Transportation  $________

·         Clothing  $________

·         Entertainment  $________

·         Childcare  $________

·         Insurance  $________

·         Repaying Debt  $________

·         Savings  $________

·         Giving  $________

·         Other  $________

 

Now -- part two -- I want you to go back through and rate what percent of each item is a necessity and how much is a lifestyle choice.

 

What do I mean by that?!

 

For example, a family of four could easily live in a 1000 sq ft. house (my family did it for several years with five people and two large dogs) and in our region of the nation we could easily find that kind of housing for $500 a month. (Wait! I know! That’s if we just pay for the necessity -- four walls and a roof. After all, a thousand square feet is more than most people in the world get.).

 

But chances are that you want more.

 

Nevertheless, anything extra that you spend is a lifestyle choice based on comfort, convenience, style, safety, neighborhood preferences, school district, etc. (Note: I’m not knocking choices! I make lifestyle choices all of the time! It’s just that we can’t understand what motivates us until we understand why we’re spending what we’re spending.)

 

So (see below and) write down what percent of your housing bill is necessity and what percent is comfort (or whatever)?

 

How about food: If each person can afford to eat on $35 per person per week, what’s the reason that you’re spending more? It is taste? Is it convenience? (That’s one reason people eat out.) Do you just not want to cook? Do you like more expensive brands? Do you prefer fancier stores?

 

You could probably pay less for transportation. Why do you pay more? Style? Comfort? Status? Fun? (Some cars are indeed more fun.) Do you drive a big gas guzzling truck all year long ... and do you do it because four times a year you might really need to haul a few things.

 

Do you see what I’m driving at? As long as what we spend is within our budget, it’s fine to make choices! We all do! It’s just that too many people in our modern society are upside down financially, swimming in debt, and are monetarily stressed. Why? Because we confuse “wants” and “needs.”

 

We will never begin the process of financial freedom, until we understand the motives behind our spending habits. Until we ask: What really does drive us? And do I really want to be controlled by that?

 

Answer the following questions …