One of the most difficult things to learn in this life is how to be content with what we have.  Let’s face it, we all would enjoy a better job, a nicer car, a little bit more stuff and additional convenience.  Try this exercise: take your car and trade it in for a “lesser car” and see if you feel a bit discontented.  Why is it that so many of us are dissatisfied with our current circumstances?  Probably because we have been fed the lies that a materialistic culture saturated with marketing breeds.  We are the most marketed culture EVER!

“…give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,”  Proverbs 30:8

SO NOW that we have established we have this dysfunctional disease called materialism, what do we do?

Here are 4 Things to Rid Us Of Our Materialism

#1 Stop Comparing: One of the foolish things we tend to do is compare our own standing financially with others.  This is as simple as visiting someone’s home and seeing they have “nicer stuff” than you. Their TV is flat screen, their refrigerator is stainless steel, their house has new carpet, and on and on the comparing goes.  What has God blessed you with? Do you feel it is enough? There will always be someone who has nicer things than you do.  It is not what you have, but how satisfied are you with what you have.

#2 Give First: Try this for 30 days and see if it doesn’t reorient your financial life.  Ask God how much you should give and to whom and then obey.  When you give, you are saying to your money, “you don’t own me and I will not be mastered by you.”  After you give celebrate by telling NO ONE!  Just quietly develop the lifestyle of generosity without the approval of others.  Then you will ensure you are not doing it for man’s approval, but rather for God’s.

#3 Eliminate Entitlement:  You do not DESERVE a new <fill in the blank>.  Entitlement is destroying the financial future of the next generation. Work an honest wage for an honest job and learn to wait for what you want or think you need.  No one owes you anything.  God’s chief purpose for your life is not for you to be rich, but you were born to glorify God with all you have.  This means you must pray to God that he will rid you of thinking you are better than other people.

#4 Pray Continually: Beating materialism on your own is one of the most foolish things you can attempt to do, especially if it is something you have struggled with in the past.  God has to literally root this out of you.  You will have to plead with Him to beat down and subvert your fleshly desires for more things.  The SALE sign may be your worst enemy.

Contentment isn’t easy, but it will only come from a relationship with Jesus.  If you must, buy nothing over the next 30 days that is not a need.  Don’t justify and call a want a need, you know what that means.

join us this Sunday at 9:30 or 11 am at the AMC 24 Theater in Hamilton, NJ!  We are a unique contemporary church in Central Jersey dedicated to restoring lives and rebuilding and renewing the community around us.  If you live in the Mercer County, Burlington County, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA area, learn more about 217church by clicking HERE.