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

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.