Subscription Lists

Point of Reference

    by Fred Price

Buying Less To Have More
Date Posted: December 22, 2017

With the pressure to be joyous and generous during this time of year comes the temptation – or for some, the compulsion – to overspend. But there’s something to be said for the concept of buying less and having more.

In one particular incident, Jesus deals specifically with this concept. Matthew relating the story of a young man who approached Jesus asking, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life? …obey the commandments. ….I have… What still do I lack?” Jesus’ answer being, “ If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth… I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:16-30

So, is there a problem with having money – even being rich? I don’t think so. It’s what happens to our attitudes that is cause for God’s concern. We don’t have to be poor to be Christians but money often gets in the way of our being good Christians. We begin to live for money instead of using it to make not only our lives better, but seeking opportunities to help others. (Not the least of which would be our families, as so often they would prefer our presence over presents.) We accumulate wealth and want to keep it, spending inordinate amounts of time trying to come up with ways to save and even hoard. We become too busy to do the things God calls us to. Our loyalties become divided, our attention diverted, time reduced and responsibility ignored. (A new study from U.C. Irvine showing measurable, statistical evidence of how many among the wealthy show empathy – or not – for others. In particular, the can-do, pull yourself up by the boot-straps mentality of the Northeastern seaboard paradoxically making them the least generous region in the country.) That’s why Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24 The real issue is who or what has mastery over your life, what is motivating you to do the things you do? There is nothing inherently wrong with acquiring money; the Bible does advise however, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” Proverbs 23:4 Because, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” In fact, “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many regrets.” 1 Timothy 6:9,10

Does that mean we should never try to better our circumstances? No, yet Paul does say that a rule he established in the early church was for people to retain the position in life they had when called to faith in Christ. (1 Corinthians 7:17-24) Not because money – or the pursuit of a better standing in life – were evil but because it is so easy for us to forget the price paid for our salvation when we become consumed in the effort to better out financial standing. Paul and Peter reminding us that, “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” (Or others’ expectations) 1 Corinthians 7:23 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from your empty way of life… but with the precious blood of Christ,...” 1 Peter 1:18,19

A counter-cultural push to re-evaluate what we have and how we use it has become fashionable around the world, and Christians should be at the fore-front in dealing with this issue; whether living with less is forced on us or embraced as a cause. Scripture admonishing us to, “… not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:15,16

All these cautionary words stem from a simple truth. “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Or our actions come) Matthew 12:34 God has always looked to our hearts, to that which motivates us to be and do what we do. As ,“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 And sometimes our hearts are purer and our responses better when we obey the admonition of Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have,…” Why? Because we learn to depend on God’s provision rather than on career opportunities and our stock portfolio. “…because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”

Our love for God should then be expressed in obedience to his will while obedience to his will is often best expressed in service to others. John reiterating this when he writes, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? …let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:16-18 (See James 2:14-18 as well.)

The underlying problem is greed, compounded by the fact that we seldom give credit where credit is due. For instance, when things are going well we feel we have accomplished something – when things go bad – God has let us down; seeking him only when our finances are wanting or things aren’t as we would have them be. The problem is almost always us – as we are particularly unproductive when we allow, “…the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things (to) come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” Mark 4:19 Prompting Jesus to say, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And goes on to illustrate his point with the parable of the rich “fool”, who was prosperous and greedy, hoarding his possessions for a ‘rainy day’. (Rather than using his excess to bless those less fortunate) “But God said to him ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21

The idea of learning to live with less, or buying less to have more, is central to the story of the rich young man alluded to at the beginning of this article. Which, however, was never meant to rule out the salvation of the rich. It is a call to put Christ first, to be willing to give up if and when we need to; to be conscious of the needs of others and be ready, even eager to serve God by giving of ourselves. This particular young man wasn’t willing. Yet the problem wasn’t with his wealth but with his heart, his attitude toward money. Paul admonishing Timothy to, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who gladly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19


Was this article helpful?
Rate it:

"Word from Scotland" from Sandy Shaw

How Great Is Your Need Today?

Read Article »
Biography Information:

Fred Price - married (50 years), father of two grown children, grandfather of six.

Fred retired earlier this year after 42 years as a factory worker.  He has always had a heart for young people and the challenges they face today.  Over the years Fred has taught Discipleship Groups for High School and college students.  

Got Something to Share?
LiveAsIf.org is always looking for new writers. Whether it is a daily devotional or a weekly article, if you desire to encourage others to know Him better, then signup to become a contributor.