Surrender: A Recovering Materialist

Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.

Proverbs 27:20

At the moment of my conversion to faith in Christ, my two-pronged life philosophy was moralism and materialism. There was nothing happenchance about this philosophy; it represented years of searching for purpose and meaning. I wanted to become financially independent, as well as to do the right thing by each person I met. It felt right, for awhile.

The life philosophy of a moral materialist (or a material moralist) turned out not to be enough. I sensed I didn’t have a purpose big enough to last a lifetime.

When the Father drew me toward Jesus, I “added” Christ to my life. In other words, I didn’t stop being a moralist and a materialist. Rather, I added Christ to my existing life philosophy, I suppose with the notion that Christ could fill in the missing pieces which caused my lack of purpose.

For the first decade of my spiritual life, I was a moralist and a materialist and a Christian. To be a moralist and a Christian is no compromise. In fact, it is a good thing to have already settled that issue before receiving God’s grace. But to be a materialist is a profound contradiction with Christianity. Materialism, “the theory that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the highest value and greatest good in life,” is the exact opposite of Christianity. Yet materialism is the predominant value of the world.

So how can one be a materialist and a Christian? One cannot. It is a theoretical, rational, and empirical impossibility. It is like trying to mix oil and water.

Now, there is no doubt that my conversion was real and that I became a Christian. So how is it that I continued to live the life of a materialist? How can anyone continue to live the life of a materialist? When we are truly converted, we (by definition) no longer subscribe to the tenets of materialism. We are disciples of Jesus and not materialism, yet we still wrestle with being materialistic, “one relating to or marked by materialism.” The distinction is between adding Christ to our lives versus surrendering to Him.

When we settle on being a “materialistic” Christian, we are trying to have the best of both worlds—the kingdom of God and the world which is passing away. Our eyes are never satisfied; contentment eludes us; we become cultural Christians. Little marginal difference distinguishes our lifestyle from the lifestyle of the broken, hurting world around us. So what should we do about it?

When I became convicted of the materialism of my life, I wanted to change—but not more than I wanted to stay the same, because nothing happened. Yet over a period of several years God, in His tender, loving way, slowly removed the scales from my eyes. He showed me both convicting and faith-building Scriptures on the subject. He disciplined me, I persevered, my character grew, and the hope that I could change finally took root. One day, when my spirit had been fortified, I plunged into a commitment to give up materialism altogether. I prayed, "Give me neither poverty nor riches.”

Today I am a recovering materialist. I am quite certain that once someone is a materialist, he is always a materialist. “Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man” (Proverbs 27:20). It is a disease, like alcoholism or gambling. And, as once an alcoholic always an alcoholic, I am quite certain that once you are a materialist, you are always a materialist.

Does this mean that if you are pursuing materialism that you are not a Christian? No, not if you have received Him as Savior and Lord. But it does mean that over a lifetime you will reap judgment if you live by the values of the world and not of God. “A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7). Materialism is sin. Possessions are not sin, but an obsession for possessions is.

Guard your heart against materialism. It is born of the sinful nature. "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8). If you continue to live for money, you are like a gambler who vacations in Las Vegas or an alcoholic who takes work in a brewery. Are your eyes never satisfied? How far have you wandered? Is it time to become a “recovering” materialist?

I SURRENDER

Lord Jesus, I confess that I have been trying to have the best of both worlds. I am a materialist. I am piercing myself with many griefs: overwork, debt, broken relationships, and stress. Forgive me for trying to serve both God and Money. When I first believed, I “added” You to my life. Now I want to surrender to You. Grant me the grace, I pray, to want neither poverty nor riches. In Your mercy, allow me to become a recovering materialist. Amen.