Hot Topics: Mega Hobbies, Shopping
He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:15-21 (NKJV)
If shopping beyond need can lead to greed, then I've been dancing with a bad partner:( No matter that our culture pushes it, or that countless others dance with him, too.
If our closets, drawers, and garages are crammed with stuff we can't count and don't use (most often made in cheap-labor nations)...
Then I say, “Welcome to America, where freedom is used to buy abundance.” But some kinds of abundance carry chains.
Unlike the man who sought one missing sheep, or the lady who sought one missing coin, we have too much to know what we're missing.*
Therein, when shopping becomes a hobby, when accumulation looks like hoarding, we might consider the following steps:
Pause and appreciate all we have now.
Learn what godly contentment truly means.
Give away the things we don't really need.
Find more productive ways to spend our time.
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
I have faith that this isn’t your problem, because your mission is to travel light. Nevertheless, the hobby of shopping is a plague on American culture.
No matter that those who can afford it (even Christians) hardly think about it, because owning lots of stuff is common.
But you, my sweet friends, are far from common. So keep your head above dank pools of stuff, because you’ve been called to rise high and shine (which can’t happen when you’re all weighted down.)
Hot Topics: Mega Hobbies, Shopping (Part 45)
* The Parables of the Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin: Luke 15:1-10 NIV - The Parable of the Lost Sheep - Now the - Bible Gateway
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re all called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re all called to be models of Jesus. We all have gifts, talents, and a commission to multiply them in the world for His glory.
P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend DAILY BIBLE READING.
WARNING: Don’t focus on your favorite verses, because taken out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!