Articles
CALLING A SPADE A SPADE, Part 2
For the past several weeks I have heard from several different sources (me included)
reference made regarding the church “drifting” from our faithful walk with Christ. This is not a
new statement, but I believe one that unfortunately is being proven more accurate every day. One
of the concerns is how “worldly” and “materialistic” we [the church] are becoming.
In the movie, The Christmas Carol, the ghost of Christmas past transports Scrooge to a
scene where his soon-to- be-married love tells him she is releasing him from their relationship,
because his love for wealth had become more important. After a brief discussion, she proves his
lack of love for her by weighing her engagement ring against his “new found love” of money.
The money far outweighed the ring, making the obvious point that his confessed love for her had
indeed turned from her and more to his money.
Scripture warns of the love of money, pleasure and self. “Do not love the world, nor the
things in the world. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is
in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from
the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16). “For the love of money is a root of all sorts
of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves
with many a pang” (1 Timothy 6:10). “For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, … lovers
of pleasure rather than lovers of God; …” (2 Timothy 3:2-4).
A few minutes of media time is all that is necessary to see how worldly we have become.
Facebook postings are filled with the pursuit of self, pictures of the latest cruise and vacation
trips, and the most recent trends in our world. And these are posts from Christians. I don’t have
anything against vacations, but it does seem to me that we are spending a lot more time traveling
and less time on home base. Does it really matter? It does if our vacation time keeps us from
growing in the Lord and fulfilling responsibilities in the work of the local church.
Here’s my point: Vacation time is good and needed and I don’t know that there is really
anything wrong with some of the new tech toys and such. But, if we were to measure our
spending for the pursuit of pleasure against our spending for the Lord, which would win out?
Jesus stressed the need to examine the placement of our “treasure” when He taught, “Do not lay
up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in
and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys,
and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also” (Matt. 6:19-21). Calling a spade a spade: “How worldly have you become?”
