Our culture today is cursed with a disease some call “affluenza.” This can be defined as “the painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.” We are so easily caught up in the trap of thinking that the more stuff we have, the happier we’ll be, but it does just the opposite.
[Related: How Greed Works]
Materialism Is a Tired, Old Story
While materialism may be running rampant in our world today, this is actually nothing new. There is a sad example of this that goes back to almost 3000 years ago to a king in the Old Testament named Ahab. Though Ahab was insanely wealthy and powerful, he wasn’t satisfied. A man named Naboth owned a field near Ahab’s palace and the king decided he had to have it. When Naboth refused to sell, Ahab became childishly dejected.
1 Kings 21:4 So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!
We may think Ahab’s reaction is silly, but we can feel the exact same way when we are denied something we want. We’re just usually better at hiding it. So how do we break free from this?
[Related: 5 Problems with Greed]
Contentment Is the Antidote to Materialism
The Apostle Paul didn’t have an easy life by any stretch. He faced constant persecution, ill-health, physical hardships, and did all of this in the context of relative poverty. And God gave him the solution to dealing with this.
Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
No matter what his circumstances, he learned to be content. Notice that this didn’t come naturally, he had to learn it. And it was the power of God that enabled him to learn it. The good news for us is that the same power is available to us today.
[Related: Rethinking the Role of Money in Our Lives]
God Brings Contentment by Providing True Security
One of the biggest enemies of contentment is fear and worry about the future. But when we understand the love of God and how he will never leave us, it can bring deep contentment.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
God is our ultimate provider and security. It’s foolish, even arrogant, to think that we’re in charge of our own ultimate security. God promises to provide exactly what we need at just the right time. This may be quite different than what we want or think we need, but we can rest in his perfect security.
[Related: Jesus Talks with a Worrier]
God Brings Contentment by Being Our True Source of Joy
Joy is not just temporary happiness, it is a deep, lasting satisfaction, fulfillment, peace, and hope that is rooted in God, not our temporary circumstances. We often get caught in the trap of materialism because we believe that more stuff will bring us more joy – but it never does. This is because stuff isn’t the real source of joy, God is.
John 15:9-11 Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
When we pursue and connect deeply with God, we discover that our truest joy comes from just being in relationship with him. As we intentionally seek to live out what we know he wants for us – such as love – this further connects us to the true source of joy, himself, and it overflows in us!
[Related: Dealing with the Debt Monster]
God Brings Contentment as His Generosity Inspires Our Own Generosity
Maybe the best way to get over materialism is to become generous toward others. This is not motivated by altruism, but is a response to the lavish generosity of God that he has demonstrated in our lives.
2 Corinthians 8:2,9 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity… You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
The people in Corinth were able to be generous, which led to abundant joy despite their worldly poverty, because they understood the generosity of God and it compelled them to act in kindness. When we truly realize the generosity of God, seen clearly on the cross of Jesus, it will hopefully move us to be generous ourselves, which is a powerful way to grow in contentment.
Though none of these ideas come easily or naturally, we can do all things, like Paul, through the outrageous power of God.
Article for this topic by ABC.
