Question 1

What is the relationship between materialism and contentment?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 11:28Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.Luke 12:18-21“Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”1 Timothy 6:17Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.James 5:1, 5Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. . . . You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.Wealth promises pleasure, safety, and security—and to some extent, it delivers. We can easily grow apathetic and self-indulgent in our wealth. But such contentment is a trap. Wealth cannot buy health; it cannot buy purpose or meaning; it cannot buy genuine relationships; most of all, it cannot buy our eternal security. One day, our wealth will be stripped away—whether in this life or the next. When that moment comes, will we have anything of true and eternal worth?Ecclesiastes 5:10Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!Luke 12:15Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”John 4:13-14Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”Money and possessions can easily deceive us into thinking, “If only I had a little more, I would be content.” But once we have “a little more,” we still thirst for something else. Always wanting more shows that greed has taken root in us, which leads to constant discontentment. True contentment comes from spiritual wealth. Jesus satisfies our deepest thirsts—not in little sips that always leave us wanting more, but in an eternal fountain, never running dry.

Question 2

Why should I avoid a life focused on acquiring material things?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 7:25“You must burn their idols in fire, and you must not covet the silver or gold that covers them. You must not take it or it will become a trap to you, for it is detestable to the Lord your God.”Matthew 6:21“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”Luke 16:13“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”We should avoid materialism because it has great power to turn us away from God. The things we acquire in this world in and of themselves are not the problem. But when we make the acquisition and maintenance of those things our primary focus in life, our hearts and worship will be turned away from God.Genesis 14:12They also captured Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned.We should avoid materialism because materialism makes us vulnerable to enemies who want what we have.Ecclesiastes 5:10Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!We should avoid materialism because material things never bring the happiness they promise.Proverbs 23:4Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.Matthew 6:19“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.”We should avoid materialism because material things are temporary. The newness wears off quickly, and things break, making our efforts to acquire them a waste of time.Mark 4:19“All too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.”1 John 2:16The world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.We should avoid materialism because materialism makes us spiritually lazy. We find it difficult to truly depend on God, when we have a false sense that we are capable of providing for all our own needs.Matthew 16:26“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”We should avoid materialism because if our materialism brought us everything we desired, we would still lose what matters most. What are a few decades of earthly indulgence in comparison to an eternity of heavenly joy? What are fame and fortune compared to an eternal relationship with the Creator of the universe?

Question 3

How do I make sure I’m not becoming too materialistic?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 45:20“‘Don’t worry about your personal belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”Isaiah 26:3You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!Matthew 6:25-26, 31-33“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? . . . So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.”Philippians 3:13No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.Materialism is often rooted in worry and a desire for control. We can avoid becoming materialistic by worrying less about what we have and thinking more about who God wants us to become. Our eternal purpose is where we will find real peace and contentment.Job 1:21He [Job] said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”Luke 16:9-13“Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”Everything comes from God and everything belongs to him. To avoid materialism, we can use our material things for the Kingdom of God by serving him with them. Material things are not necessarily wrong; it’s all about how we use them. For example, a computer can be used to view pornography or to write a Sunday school lesson. Wealth can be hoarded for personal pleasure or given to bless others. When we use our possessions to serve God and others, our focus will shift from entitlement to gratitude, from getting to giving, and from our desires to God’s desires.Psalm 4:7You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.Matthew 6:20“Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”Colossians 3:2-3Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.We can avoid materialism by remembering that joy and satisfaction come from a relationship with God and his people. We can’t have a relationship with possessions. Most of our good memories involve warm moments with others, relational investments we’ve made, or times spent with other people. We will cherish those memories more than memories of what we owned or didn’t own. God knows this, and that is why he calls us to live lives that store up these valuable treasures. He doesn’t want to take our happiness—he only wants to increase it.Matthew 25:28-30“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”Luke 16:9“Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”We can avoid materialism by focusing our efforts on helping others, which is more fulfilling than acquiring more possessions. True satisfaction is found in meeting other people’s needs. Such actions not only bless God’s children—they show our love for God himself.