A certain hip young man bought one of the best cars around, a Ferrari GTO. He took it out for a spin and stopped at a red light. An old man on a moped pulled up next to him. The man looked over the sleek, shiny car and asked, "What kind of car ya’ got there, sonny?" "It’s a Ferrari GTO. It cost half a million dollars," the young man replied.
"Well that dar’ is a lot of money," said the old man. "Why does it cost so much?" "Because this car can do up to 320 miles an hour!" said the proud young man. "Well, do ya mind if I can have a look inside?" "No problem," replied the owner. So the old man poked his head in the window and looked around. Sitting back on his moped, the old man said, "That’s a pretty nice car, all right!"
Just then, the light changed and the driver decided to show the old man just what his car could do. He floored it and within thirty seconds the speedometer read 160 mph. Suddenly he noticed a dot in his rear view mirror. It was getting closer. He slowed down to see what it could be and— whooosh! Something whipped by him going much faster than he was.
"What on earth could be going faster than my Ferrari?" the young man said to himself. Then ahead of him he saw a dot coming back toward him. Whooosh! It went by again, heading the opposite direction. It looked like the old man on the moped! "This can’t be," he thought to himself. "How could a moped outrun my Ferrari?"
Once more though he saw the dot in his rear view mirror followed by a loud crash as the speeding object smacked into the back of his car. The young man jumped out and saw the old man lying on the pavement. He ran to him and asked, "What in the world is going on? What kind of moped is that?" "I don’t know," said the man, "but unhook my suspenders from your side-view mirror."
The clever sales pitch.
This last week I stopped into a specialty fishing shop for the first time. I knew I was in trouble the moment I set foot in the door because every piece of equipment featured in the store was the top of the top of the line. But I snooped around anyway. A gentleman came out and began telling me about the fishing gear. He was so professional and knowledgeable. I was impressed. He was an experienced instructor.
The first thing he did was to put a fly fishing rod in my hand. I immediately began flipping the rod in my hand pretending to cast when I noticed this little white price tag dangling from the bottom. The rod felt cheap. It was super thin and felt as light as a feather, literally. I thought the tag said $55.50 but upon closer inspection I noticed it read $550! Talk about sticker shock! I about had a heart attack!
The man unapologetically explained that I was holding one of the finest crafted fishing rods available in the United States. As I quickly handed the rod back to him he told me it was made of titanium, the material used to make the struts of B-52 bombers. It had a lifetime warranty. It was guaranteed never to break, crack, or split. Even if I slammed it in my car door, they would replace it for my entire lifetime with no questions asked.
"But", he said concluding his sales pitch, "most of our rods sell for around $80." Obviously he doesn’t know what Lara would do to me if I were to take the bait and buy it! Later, after I left I looked in the mirror to make sure I didn’t have gullible written on my forehead.
For years I worked in sales and I have learned the psychology of human nature. Most customers, around eighty percent, just want something simple and practical. They don’t care. If you put your cheapest product in their hands, they would be perfectly content. But in sales you are taught not to do that! Instead, you put your finest product in the customer’s hand first. You make the customer feel discontented with his initial selection and you gently lead them to purchase the bigger, better, faster, and more expensive product. Most often, the customer will leave the store having spent more money than they intended on a product whose features they may never fully use or appreciate.
Our vulnerability.
Now have you ever wondered why that technique works on most of us? Half of the time we know what they are doing and yet we still fall for it anyway! It is part of our nature to see each purchase as an identity statement. It is part of our nature to want something that is just a little bit bigger and fancier. It is part of our nature to quickly become discontented and dissatisfied. We have a moped, but someone else has the Ferrari GTO. We have the $10 Walmart fishing rod, but they have the indestructible B-52 special. We have Levis, but they have Tommy Hilfilger. We have the shack, but they have the mansion on a hill with a golden brick road.
Our nature is to draw our sense of value, our esteem, our fulfillment, our joy, and our happiness— from things. We draw value from our possessions and stuff. We spend our lives coveting what others have. We spend our lives dreaming that if only we had the next guy’s stuff, we would somehow be complete. We believe we would be fulfilled and that we would at once find joy, contentment, and the happiness we long for.
This last week Lara’s dad told me about a sign he saw in the mall. "Rebate splurge excuse number 59: I’m my own favorite charity." We live in a culture of consumption that says, "spend, spend, spend, buy, buy, buy!" We live in a culture that begs us to make an image statement. We live in a culture that has trained us to feel good with the flip of a plastic Visa. Our culture says, "Buy more stuff. You are your own favorite charity. Cut loose. Go all out. After all, you deserve it!"
Richard Foster in his book Freedom of Simplicity, quotes an unknown source as saying, "Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities." I know that there are times when I get sucked into this whirlpool. After falling prey to just the wrong combination of commercials and advertising, a desire is born. And that desire starts to take on a life of its own. Suddenly we feel this magnetic pull every time we walk by a certain store or see another ad. And the desire grows stronger and stronger, and soon that desire becomes a necessity. It becomes something we just have to have in order to move on with our lives! Afterwards, our thoughts become consumed with that special something. We think about it all the time. It shows up in our conversations. And slowly but surely we begin to craft a plan about how we will buy it now and pay for it later. And then the dreadful day comes when opportunity presents itself and out comes the plastic. And afterwards we say, "What just happened there?"
None of us fully understand the pull of materialism until we try to resist it. The $600 fishing rods are easy to say "no" to. But try saying "no" to getting any fishing rod at all, and you have a battle on your hands. Try saying "no" to stepping up to the next model. Try saying "no" to that little upgrade or enhancement or extra feature.
Hungering for God.
In John Piper’s book Hungering for God, he talks about the dangers of this mentality. He says quite pointedly that, "The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison, but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but the endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife." Luke 14:18-20.
"The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies, but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when we replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable and almost incurable.” But there is more. Piper continues, "Jesus said some people hear the word of God and a desire for God is awakened in their hearts. But then, 'as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life.' Luke 8:14 (NIV) Jesus also said, 'The desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.' " Mark 4:19 (NIV)
"The pleasures of this life and the desires for other things are not evil in themselves. These are not vices. These are gifts of God. They are your basic meat and potatoes and coffee and gardening and reading and decorating and traveling and investing and television watching and internet surfing and shopping and exercising and collecting and talking. And all of them can become deadly substitutes for God."
Idolatry.
If we are not careful, and even if we are careful, our hunger for more can become an idol. An idol is anything that steals your affection away from God. An idol is anything that replaces God in your thoughts and desires and appetite. An idol is anything you delight in more than you delight in God. An idol is anything besides God that we use to find fulfillment and contentment and meaning and value and esteem. An idol can be an accomplishment. It can be a sports trophy. It can be a promotion at work. It can be an SUV. It can be a fishing boat. It can be a beanie baby. It can be television and the internet. It can be a house, a perfect lawn, a shiny truck, a family heirloom, an inheritance, an investment account, food, jewelry, furniture, a tool, a computer, or even a video game.
An idol is any created thing that you desire more than God himself. An idol is any created thing that you use to take the place of God in your life. And the sad truth is that our possessions are like idols. They are little gods to us. The bottom line is that materialism is subtle idolatry and as such, it should be taken seriously.
It is a painful and difficult thing to confess but the intensity of our desire for "things" often seems more intense then our desire for God. Somehow we have to pull in the reigns and do a heart-check about what is truly important and necessary in life. The things we accumulate can never replace God. They will never satisfy us like God will satisfy us. They will never give us the self-esteem and sense of value that God gives us. Our things leave us empty.
The pursuit of happiness.
In his autobiography Just As I Am Billy Graham recalls a story that teaches this. Billy Graham and his wife Ruth were on an island in the Caribbean. He says, "One of the wealthiest men in the world had asked us to come to his lavish home for lunch. He was 75 years old, and throughout the entire meal he seemed close to tears. 'I am the most miserable man in the world,' he said. 'Out there is my yacht. I can go anywhere I want to. I have my private plant, my helicopters. I have everything I want to make my life happy, yet I am as miserable as hell.' We talked to him and prayed with him, trying to point him to Christ, who alone gives lasting meaning in life."
"Then we went down the hill to a small cottage where we were staying. That afternoon, the pastor of the local Baptist church came to call. He was an Englishman and he too was 75— a widower who spent most of his time taking care of his two invalid sisters. He was full of enthusiasm and love for Christ and others. 'I don’t have two pounds to my name,' he said with a smile, 'but I am the happiest man on this island.' " In his book Billy Graham asks, "Who do you think is the richer man?"
God’s desire is that we be rich, but not in the way our world defines rich. Here are some ways for you to become rich toward God with your possessions.
Become rich by simplifying your lifestyle.
When it comes to possessions, less is more. The frantic rat-race to achieve and accumulate does not enhance life. Instead, it oppresses life. It squeezes God out. As one man said, "Money will buy a bed, but not sleep; books, but not brains; food, but not appetite; a house, but not a home; medicine, but not health; amusements, but not happiness; religion, but not salvation; and a passport to everywhere but heaven." A simplified lifestyle leans more heavily on God to find meaning and satisfaction. The more we lean on God, the more he fills us up and we become rich.
Become rich by enjoying what you have.
God wants us to be thankful for what he has already given us. One way we can show gratitude is by enjoying the gifts he has already given us. Just think about all the good gifts God has given us that are sitting on the shelf or out in the garage or in the backyard or up in the attic.
Become rich by sharing what you have.
I have some friends who own a home that overlooks a sizable pond that used to be a pay lake for area fishermen. They are good about sharing their property with bums like me who love fishing. But what makes them rich is watching others enjoy their home and property.
Become rich by borrowing things you need.
We do not have to own everything we need. I was installing a new water heater in our garage and had to replace a copper gas line. To finish the job I needed a $20 flaring tool. I came within moments of buying that tool when Jay, our associate minister, said to me, "Maybe somebody in the church has that tool and you can save the money." I made a few calls and sure enough, someone had it.
Become rich by waiting on God.
It is amazing what God will provide in his time. I enjoy woodworking, and I have a shop full of all the tools that I could ever want. Some of those tools I have received for free or at greatly reduced prices. One man moved to Texas and sold all his brand new shop tools for half their value. My dad regularly upgrades his tools and I buy his old equipment which works good enough for me.
Become rich by ministering with your stuff.
The scripture teaches us to show hospitality to one another. If you have a beautiful home, why not use it to host a home Bible study? Why not use it for a church outing, to house a missionary, to put up a student studying for Bible College, or to invite your neighbors over to get to know them? The right dose of creativity will have you leveraging your possessions for ministry in God’s kingdom.
I had a bunch of weight lifting equipment in my basement a while back and invited some high school kids over to do weight training for football. I used my tools to help a neighbor build his fence and to help another neighbor rebuild an oak door on an ice chest. I used my mulching mower to mulch the leaves of yet another neighbor who was sick. These activities can open up doors for the gospel message.
Become rich by giving away your stuff.
It is not God’s will that you liquidate all your assets and give them to the poor. However, there is value in giving away your stuff to others. That old computer can be used to teach vital job skills to underprivileged children. That old ping-pong table can be put to good use at a youth camp. Those books you have read and no longer reference can be given to a library. I had several Bibles laying around that weren’t being used, and I donated them to the Inner City Mission. They were ecstatic! But don’t just give away your junk. Give away things that are of value and that are in excellent condition. Give them over for use in God’s kingdom. Give sacrificially.
Become rich by hungering for God.
Acknowledge the limitations of your possessions. They cannot make you happy. Renounce the god of materialism and the idolatry of consumption. Only God can satisfy our souls in a substantive, eternal way. Joseph Stowell said, "The real point of materialism is not how much we have, but what has us. It’s not what we hold, but how tightly we hold it. Not what we have, but how we got it. The test of materialism is whether our goods have made us proud or grateful, self-sufficient, or God-sufficient."
This morning, ask yourself, "Am I God-sufficient?" This morning, ask whether are you rich towards God. Have you discovered the freedom and joy of simplicity? Is God quenching your hunger, thirst, and appetite for meaning, value, and satisfaction? If not, it is never to late to begin.