Can We Be Free from Materialism?
Finances
Audio By Carbonatix
9:45 AM on Thursday, March 19
By Luisa Collopy, Finances
No one knew what the invitation was for. One by one the guests arrived in their black couture outfits, dressed to perfection from head to toe, as requested. The event? A memorial for a Lamborghini, which, according to the hostess, was a symbol of saying goodbye to her materialism.
Materialism on Display
The vision of opulent living was most popular at the time of monarchs. We have read historical books and watched movies and documentaries that offer insight into how they lavishly entertained. Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France, was said to have spent so much money on fashion and other luxuries even while the country was in a financial crisis and the people were suffering. Even the “Let them eat cake” phrase is attributed to her, from the time she was told there was no bread for the poor to eat, marking her as a frivolous person.
Netflix shows such as Bling Empire and Dubai Bling prove that some people have no qualms about letting the world know how wealthy people live and that being materialistic is not a sin. It’s only a problem for people who can’t afford it because there is neither a real estate empire or oil wells or fortune inherited to support an extravagant life.
But if we are fooling ourselves by saying that only the rich and famous have problems with materialism, think again! The show Hoarders reveals that regular folks like you and me struggle with letting go because of emotional attachment to material things. Watch HGTV shows on buying sight-unseen homes to remodel and flip and you'll see the junk and clutter people leave behind after being overwhelmed by it all. Search for fake designer items to buy on the Internet and you'll find sites that cater to the desires of those wanting to copycat not just the Joneses but celebrities and royals too. Oh, the pressure to have what we don’t need and can’t afford sometimes!
Materialism Is a Sin
What is materialism? It is defined as giving more importance to possession and the comforts of life over spiritual values, especially a relationship with God. The Bible shares many stories on materialism and warnings about “loving” material things over God.
Story 1 comes from Joshua 7:1-26: On their march to the Promised Land, one of God’s commands to the Israelites in taking down Jericho was to take no plunder for themselves. After their successful attack on Jericho, they moved on to the city of Ai. Their expectation was a victory as well, but it wasn’t. God was angry and told Joshua of their sin. Consecration was needed and the responsible party would be revealed by lot and punished.
From tribe to clan to household, they were brought forward. Achan was taken. Joshua asked, “'And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.’ And Achan answered Joshua, ‘Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath’” (vv.20-21).
When they were able to confirm the words of Achan, Achan and his household and everything he owned were burned with fire and stoned with stones.
Story 2 from 1 Kings 21:1-24: Naboth owned a vineyard beside the palace of King Ahab. The king desired it so much that he could not sleep and eat after Naboth turned down his offer of purchase. Jezebel, the king’s wife, concocted a plan and hired two men to bring a false charge against Naboth. With the two hirelings accusing Naboth of cursing God, he was stoned to death.
“'Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.’ And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it” (v.15).
The Lord brought condemnation to Ahab. And of Jezebel, God said, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel. Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat” (vv.23-24).
Story 3 from 2 Kings 5:1-27: Naaman, the commander of the Syrian king’s army, was a leper. Naaman’s wife’s servant from the land of Israel told her mistress of a prophet in Samaria who could heal her master. “So [Naaman] went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing” (v.5).
After obeying Elisha’s order to dip himself seven times in the Jordan, Naaman’s leprosy was healed. His skin was clean and like the “flesh of a little child.”
Elisha was offered a present by Naaman but refused it. But Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, thought otherwise. “As the Lord lives, I will run after [Naaman] and get something from him” (v.20). When Naaman saw him, he got off his chariot and asked what the matter was. Gehazi said, “My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing’” (vv.20-22).
Gehazi lied not just to Naaman but even to his master Elisha when asked where he had been. Because of this, he and his descendants were cursed with leprosy.
Story 4 from Acts 16:16-19: A slave girl had the spirit of divination and brought income to her owners through fortune-telling. She followed Paul and Silas for many days with a proclamation: “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation” (v.17). In his annoyance, Paul said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her,” and it did (v.18). The slave girl’s owners were not happy to lose money so they “dragged [Paul and Silas] into the marketplace and brought them before the magistrates with a case.
The Grip of Materialism
As followers of Jesus, we always have intentions of obeying God’s commands. So, we are constantly reminded that seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness is far greater than the worldly treasures we desire to have to make our lives more comfortable. We are challenged daily to evaluate our priorities and to find contentment in what we already have, for the grip of materialism is strong and can keep us away from a relationship with God.
A rich young man came to Jesus to ask Him how he could have eternal life. He stressed the fact of his obedience to the commandments. “What do I still lack?” was his question. Jesus said, “'If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:20-22).
Jesus also spoke of a parable about a rich man who decided that building bigger barns to store his grains and goods was the best solution to his abundant possession and harvest. “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” God said to the man (Luke 12:16-18). And Jesus calls the person who is “not rich toward God” a fool, the one choosing not to “lay up for [himself] treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 19:20).
Can We Be Free from Materialism?
The answer is “Yes!” It is a choice, as proven by the rich young man who walked away when told by Jesus what to do. Or the rich fool who wanted bigger barns to “eat, drink and be merry” when he could have shared what he owned. Achan knew that the spoils of war were not allowed. Ahab already had property and didn’t have to covet Naboth’s vineyard. Gehazi knew Elisha’s stand on the gift but was overcome by his own greed. And the slave girl’s owners cared more about income than someone’s soul.
The Bible is never short on reminders of how we can “be free from the love of money” (Hebrews 13:5), how life is “not about the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15), and that we need to set our hope on God, “who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Because of our relationship with Jesus that makes us new creations, we can “be transformed by the renewal of [our] mind” (Romans 12:2), allowing us to focus on a beautiful life with Christ and avoid the constant threat of materialism on our well-being.
You and I may not have a Lamborghini to say goodbye to today—we also don’t need that much drama to prove a point—but we have things that we can let go of, freeing us to follow Christ, our ultimate wealth.
Luisa Collopy is an author, speaker and a women’s Bible study teacher. She also produces Mula sa Puso (From the Heart) in Tagalog (her heart language), released on FEBC Philippines stations. Luisa loves spending time with her family over meals and karaoke!
