I am so amazed and sometimes, to my shame, even enthralled (fascinated, gripped, captivated, charmed, entranced, enchanted) by the “stuff” that the world has to offer!   My wife and I briefly took in a couple of pretty amazing shopping malls while we were attending a Pastors Conference in Oklahoma City recently—Quail Springs and Penn Square.    I was simply fascinated and almost overwhelmed by the choices of things that can be purchased, taken home and enjoyed.  If you have the purchasing power, you can just about have access to, and buy anything you want.  And by doing so you will finally have everything you need and be happy!

Even the Food Court was amazing!  Like carny at the carnival, there are people standing in front of their eatery tempting you with tantalizing samples of their tasty delicacies!  And we fell for it and bought what they were selling (and it was great!).

If they don’t have it at the mall, you can go to Sam’s Club, or Sears, or Target or the Furniture Store or your local specialty shops.  And if you can’t find it there, you can go online and order anything!  And it’s wonderful!  I never cease to be amazed and am so grateful at how easy it is to order some unusual product that used to only be available in some metropolitan area and have it shipped to your doorstep in 2 days!

I can buy a water softener online (I did that recently), a refrigerator, a book, a pair of slippers, a coat, Vermont maple syrup, fishing equipment, toys, trucks and cars.  We are simply surrounded by and inundated with materialism and so often we don’t know how to handle it all.  We become overwhelmed with it all!

God is not impressed by the riches, the prosperity, and the economic opportunity of the cities and towns of this world.  I don’t think He is the least impressed by the economic stability and prosperity of McPherson, Hutchinson, Salina and Wichita Kansas.  In fact, the very people who boast in their own ability to be prosperous and whose goal is to have more and labor to be rich will come to rags and weeping and wailing—and the people of your community and mine are not exempt from the severe judgment of God.

The judgment of God upon Babylon epitomizes this very truth:

“For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities . . . 7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow . . . 15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!”  (Rev. 18:5-17)

Oh, the vanity of man’s corrupt desire to “make it rich” or even to live “the American dream!”–or the folly of our desire to “get ahead” in life.

 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. James 4:13-16

Yet how many of us make our plans without God? Yes, we plan ahead, we save, we put away a “nest egg” but we do so with a loose grip on things so that if God choses to take them away, we aren’t so devastated.  He shouldn’t have to forcefully pry out fingers from around our “stuff!”

Materialism is so uncertain, so vain, it’s like “chasing the wind.”  Listen to what Solomon learned from his all-out pursuit of things material:

 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: 5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: 6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: 7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: 8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. 9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, (striving, chasing after the wind) and there was no profit under the sun. Eccl 2:4-11

Yet, we want more and more and more–one more car in the driveway, one more dress one more necklace, etc. . . just a little bit more and we will be done!  More is not necessarily wrong, but it depends on where our priorities are.  What are we using these “things” for?  Sometimes we simply want more that we can spend it on our lusts.

 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.  James 4:2-4

And what do we do it for?  Are these desires that we do obtain gain for us anything in the long haul; I mean for the journey to eternity?  Are we laying anything up in heaven?

Materialism is so uncertain, so vain, indeed, “chasing the wind.”  Yet money continues to rule, to be the god of so many today.  And far, far too many of us Christian worship at the idol of materialism.

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;  1 Tim 6:17-18

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 1 Tim 6:7-12

Lord help us to keep our focus “on things above and not on things on the earth” (Col 3:2).   May we obey Christ’s admonition to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Matt 6:33