“Now godliness
and contentment is great gain. And having food and clothing, with these we
shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a
snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction
and perdition” 1 Tim 6:6- 9.
In
this Century, the momentum at which Christians seek and run after material things
is frightening. Christians do everything possible to get and have whatever the
world has to offer. Nothing goes by without them thinking “I need that like
yesterday.” Their pursuit is no longer godly and limited to pilgrimage; rather,
it has become “have it all while it is day, for tomorrow we die.” Today,
it is undeniable that Christians are literary competing with the world in
material pursuit and many times they have appeared faster.
In
mockery, someone posted on facebook that Tele-Evangelists should change the
title of their programs to “How to become a millionaire.” With gloom, I
stand to agree, because these champions are leading the rest in material
pursuit and the world can see and feel so.
All
of a sudden, in the 21st Century, we have come to believe the devil’s
lie that we need abundance of material things to enjoy life. Today, Christian homes
are filled with a lot of unnecessary stuff. Our lockers, closets, cupboard, bedrooms,
pantries, and garages/carports are packed with things that we should have given
away, sold or thrown a long time ago. Homes literary have no space for people
to breathe or maneuver with ease. If only we can be honest with ourselves for
once, we would all agree that all the useless bulk hipped in our homes is
simply organized garbage. In the case of a fire, our homes have more than enough
fuel to burn Rome.
You can't
determine materialism by quantity alone; there are other factors that come in
play. One or two items more than your friends should not suggest that your pursuit
is no longer godly. However, better still the very nature and atmosphere of our
conversations betray us. For us men, our
conversation easily shifts from spiritual and family to material things (business/job,
plots/houses, gadgets, cars and cash) for the longer part. With our ladies, no
sooner had the conversation began than their hair, high heeled shoes, clothes
and kitchens came alive. It does not matter in what forum you are found, so
long it is an informal conversation these things very quickly come to the fore
and condemn us as materialistic. Whether you agree or
not, we the 21st Century Christian generation have mutated into a very
materialistic community that shocks the world instead of reaching it for Christ.
Pause
and ponder for a moment. What are you pursuing in life? Since you are a very
busy Christian doing all it takes to archive, acquire and succeed, are you
really investing eternally or simply increasing your material bulk? What are
you really hoping and seeking to grasp as you enter the Lord’s rest? Have you
also become just like the world; neither satisfied nor happy with where God has
placed you? Do you also crave for just a little more of the world like Lot’s
wife did in Sodom? Are you one of those who just can’t say enough, this far
only will I go? Did you know that the word ENOUGH seems to have been fork
lifted from many Christian’s vocabulary and dumped by the wayside as they are rolling
home? And so, like them you have ceased from saying this is sufficient for me. You
don’t even know the measurement of the knapsack on your back; you assume it is big
when it is very small, enough for a pilgrim’s journey. And now you have come to
a place in life where you have no desire or plan to pass on overages to others
in need. Pause and ponder for a moment dear Christian, is this you?!
In
the Bible, from the text that heads this post, God instructs every Christian to
avoid pursuing material things to the point of being chocked; instead, to learn
to say enough. We need to set a limit for ourselves. God desires that His
children be content, it is indeed great gain. But God also knows that we are prone
to want more and struggle to say enough. Therefore he admonishes us not to seek
and run after material things like the world; instead, to pursue godliness and
contentment in life.
In
it all, as you attempt to unwind yourself from this entanglement of material
pursuit, here is a lesson for you to run along with, assess and determine what enough
looks like in your life. Every time you
come across something enticing, ask yourself; “do I really need it?” If “not”
quickly pass and focus on something else. If “yes” for the future, jot it down
and look at it again when that future comes. But if “yes” for today, try to do
the following things: first, assess your means to acquire it so as to avoid
unnecessary debt; second, ensure it replaces something else so as to keep away
from having more than one thing for the same purpose (better to replace than to
just add upon the bulk you already have); third, I know it is easy to get rid
of the old after the new has arrived, but if it doesn’t infringe on your operations,
try to get rid of the old before the new comes; finally, whether you have
acquired it or not, purpose to be satisfied with what you have, either before
or after. Know and define your pursuit in life and be content.
That’s all!
