Materialism

The age old saying still rings true: "You can't take it with you." No matter what's the extent of all your material wealth, you will eventually lose it all. The choice is yours. You can release it now into God's service, or you can wait until death snatches it from your grasp.

Remember the conversation between Jesus and the rich ruler, a willing victim of materialism:

A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? . . . Jesus answered . . . "You know the commandments. ..." "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" (Luke 18:18-24).

What "one thing" did the rich ruler lack? Faith, along with the knowledge that he was going to lose it all anyway. He foolishly opted for earthly wealth instead of heavenly treasures.

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Does Jesus ask everyone to sell everything? No. But Jesus knew the rich man's heart: His faith was in his wealth. And in the end, his materialism would be his eternal destruction. That is the heinous lie of materialism. We think it's all ours, but it never was.