A Must Test For All Christians

Some Christians kind of idolize their belongings. For men it is often their Big screen TV’s, stereo systems, DVD players, tools, cars, etc. For women it is often our homes, how it is decorated, our yards, and things that I will go into more detail on another day, how our kids are dressed, our physical belongings, jelwery, cloths etc.

How do we idolize these things, well if you feel prideful about them, or boast, if you invite people over simply to see your new house, your new car, your new stereo, your new BIG screen T.V, you have put that object as an idol in your heart, You are prideful for having it, maybe you feel successful because you can afford it, maybe you want people to think of you a certain way, and now you are idolizing your reputation and putting the focus on you instead of on God. None of us really love our possessions, we love how they make us feel, they rather make us feel good directly, like a nice Jacuzzi tub, or indirectly by giving us a confidence boost when we have people complementing us for it. But the point here is this, anything we have or own is not really ours, but the Lords, who has lent it to us for a period of time, so who are we to boast as if it were earned, when it really was lent to us as a Master allows His servants to use His things for His House to be kept.

I used to be in Amway, (Quixtar) and part of the whole thing is making yourself appear successful, wear your best jewelry, best cloths, drive a new car (or a couple of them), even if you really can not afford one, bragging about how much money you have etc. All so you can deceive others into thinking you are rich, meaning the Amway is working well for you, this persways them into wanting to get involved. Now you have used material possessions to deceive others into thinking something about you that is not true because you are greedy for more. So greed is another factor, which is certainly an idol. The worship of money and wealth. Often our possessions are simply an example of our worship of this idol, that of money.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know that money is not the cause of all evil, it is the love of money. So simply take this into account, it is not having nice things that cause idolatry, it is when you love them in a way you should only love God, that things begin to cause sin.

Want to test yourself? Here is what I do on a regular basis, I have some nice things in my house (at least I used to), I love art, I love technology, computer systems and such. So I have had a few things that I consider valuable. But how I test myself to see if I love them in a way that I shouldn’t is I regularly give away the things that are the most valuable to me. Now don’t misunderstand, I don’t have some schedule I follow to test myself to see if I am becoming materialistic, it just seams to happen that every month or so, I feel the Holy Spirit guiding me to give something away that I have and love, or the money I had planned to use on something I would have and love. For example, the Lord has had us give away a car twice, return two new vehicles to the dealership, my favorite painting, all of our savings, jewelry, a brand new computer system, an antique huge bible, almost all of our Christmas gifts one year, a T.V, a stereo, golf clubs, microwave, and the list goes on.and on and on. This all happened at different times, God did not have us do it all at once, it just happened here and there, and the Lord almost always replaced what we had given away. But keep the focus here, it is not if you are capable of parting with these things, it is how you feel about doing it. If you resent it, or are very apprehensive... you love it with a love that you should not have. If you are willing, knowing you will miss it, but can do it easily, then yes it may be something you have loved having, but not in a way that is sinful. See if you will part with material things easily it is because you know the Lord owns it not you, and you can see giving it away is also giving it back unto the Lord. So you do not idolize it, but when you can’t, you idolize it because you have taken ownership of something that is not yours, and have stolen from the Lord. If you believe everything you have is a gift from God, then you are aware that your hard work is not the fuel that feeds your life style, but the Lords grace is what provides all your provisions.

So the overall point here is that we make idols out of our belongings and out of ourselves when we love our things in a way we should love God, when we can not let them go easily, when we believe everything we have is rightful ours, and that we are the ones to give credit to when we achieve riches in this life... instead of glorifying the Lord and giving thanks, we feel pride, this is idolatry.

So why don't you try it, to see where your heart is really at, you may be shocked! Look at the one thing you own, love, value, and/or trust in more than anything else, it could be the RSP's you have been saving up for 20 years, your savings for that trip to Florida of $14K, it could be that new car, or that old boat, it could be your TV, your gold ring, what ever, and just give it away, preferably anonymously, and see how it makes you feel to do it... just a thought??? I learned alot about myslef, hope you do to!!!