5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
How we handle wealth (and poverty) has an impact on our eternity. How we handle wealth is an indicator of our spiritual state. It is like a thermometer in a turkey, popping when it is done. If we are in right relationship with the Lord then our handling of money shows that. And our mishandling of money also shows that. Our Western culture has learned to waste money. We design products to wear out and go out of fashion. That is part of Capitalism. This encourages the sin talked about in this verse. In some respects we have spread this sin around the world. We must get a grip on our view of money in our lives. If we allow too great a space, money will take over. It will become the top priority. We will always be pursuing the next toy. Those boats, jet skies, furniture, cars, big TVs…. The list could go on forever. When was the last time you got a broken item fixed rather than just buying a new one? Most things can’t even be fixed. They are designed to be thrown away. We have a 10+ year old couch. It has recliners on the ends. One of the recliners’ release levers broke, making that end of the couch not work. Believe it or not, I fashioned a repair part for it, making it work again. Unheard of! I tried finding a replacement part, but it was not available. I have to be honest. It was very hard to fight against the desire to just buy a new couch. I don’t know about you, but it is a battle not to make purchasing an Olympic sport in my life. I could enjoy the training regiment! I am sure I would not purchase the things you would, but I could fill my cart with so many things. But I want to resist. I want my desire to be the Lord and His rule in my life. I want contentment. I want the fulfillment that only He can offer. How about you?
The Arnold Journey 