Monday, December 5, 2011

Spend Less 2 - Luke 3:1-14

Luke 3:1-14

John the Baptist speaks his prophetic wisdom to a culture that has become greedy. He warns those who come to him that claiming their faith as protection will not work on its own. When asked what they should do to remain faithful to God, John advises practicing contenment and generosity. He tells the people to share what material goods they have with those who have less and to be content with having 'enough'.

The question for us today, as people who also live in a culture of greed and excess, is what constitutes 'enough'? It is hard for us to stop accumulating things. We like to have the newest iPhone and computer. We like to be fashionable. We like to go to Starbucks and out to eat.

We tend to compare our lifestyles to those people we see on TV or read about in magazines. Most of these people live lifestyles that spend an outrageous amount of money. Would it be fun to live like that? Sure. But as Christians, would we feel good about it? I don't know.

What I do know is that we tend to want a lot more than we actually need. What if we stopped buying everything we wanted and for the most part, only bought those things that we needed? Would your life look and feel differently? Would you feel deprived? Or would you be surprised that you don't miss what you don't have? Would you be embarrassed in front of others at leaving the race to collect 'stuff'? Or would you find a new contentment in your life?

Why don't we try it and see?

Heavenly Father, help us to be content with our lives. Help us to see the world through your eyes instead of our own. Give us the strength and committment to share what we have with others and to learn how to want less. Amen.

CS

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