Knowing what Really Matters in this Materialistic World...
Last week was a crazy week because I was so busy doing stuff and really was given much food for thought in that, I was led to re-examine myself, like what is important to me and how I can improve myself with regards to the way I look at things and how I live my life. Basically, the thoughts that I had last week were in relation to coming back to what matters most in life, not being distracted by the things of this world but to focus on God. I would think it is also about wants vs what we really get and channelling my passion for life into what matters most and that is my life lived for God’s glory. And, also perhaps God’s will in everything and some issues about absolute truth and self-righteousness. So anw, here’s the story of last week...
Starting with Monday the 29th of June...basically Monday was like every other Monday except that i was a little irritated and felt sick of everyone for a while, anw i did the usual stuff at home and Tuesday again was nothing special except that I started Tuesday trainings for chess at home. Then, we made an effort to go out and do stuff beginning Wednesday, went out with my sis and dad to get my passport renewed and then went Taka to walk around I guess, do some shopping, find a book and run some errands. And, like my sis was talking about shopping and getting stuff that she likes. I also was sparked into deep thought by looking around at the many shops, not that it is anything like i haven’t seen shops in orchard, seriously I’m not as dorky that like I don’t go out and not know these stuff. But, it did remind me of truthfully of a lot of things in life that I do desire material wise. And, sure I still have in mind that buying things does not necessarily mean it is a non spiritual thing and that it isn’t good or right to buy stuff we want but that it can be worship when we thank God for blessing us richly with things. However, my question really is like we want so many things, so where do we draw the line and say enough is enough and how should we decide that we some purchase something or not. Thinking about it i don’t really think that there is a lot i want material wise maybe more computer games, more music and perhaps update my clothes. Really though, even small things like that, i think we can seek God’s will and if He really sets our hearts on something we can get it. But, i think from a logical point of view, i guess even economic theory can be used, like the basic concept of opportunity cost, basically we have unlimited wants, so to get round this we need to prioritise. And, also i guess based on a budget, we can decide what we will buy given this level of allowance...meaning we set aside a reasonable amount of money we can spend taking into account all the other compulsory stuff. Also, i think a guideline would be to consider each time if the item being spent on is in excess, like whether it is over-indulgence or not. And, another thing to consider is whether you really want the item truly or not. The key thing i feel is that we just put God first in everything and not let other things in this case material things become more important than it should be. And, meaningless as material things can be ultimately, it is okay to shop.
Thursday, was like any other day, so i shall move on to Friday. So yea, on Friday, we continued our second day of shopping trips as we went to Vivo City. Again, my dad and i could not find the chess book we were looking for, so we just spent the rest of the day walking around Vivo, for me it was like follow my sis and shop...which in the end left us going round the whole place and coming back with just a music CD for my sis and a shirt and a music CD for myself. Amazingly, i who wasn’t intending to get anything came back with more stuff than my sis who was the one who wanted to shop. And, I met Gen as i walked into the National Geographic store coincidentally. Ok, so that was that. And, as for the weekend, i had chess tournament, and unfortunately missed Church. My play definitely improved but my results were poor still and I got only 3 out of 7 points...the good thing, though was that it was good practise coming closer to the Asean Para Games Chess competition.
Now then, i guess I’ve only superficially discussed my main thoughts last week, so i’ll get further into my thoughts from here. Basically, i’m not just talking about shopping itself when i talk about materialism, but also how the world defines success, and about the things that are very much a part of our lives but have the danger of becoming more important than what really matters most that is the glory of God. The thing i think we should remember is that doing more things and owning more things does not make us a better and more valuable person, it is who we are that really matters. There are a lot of things that we want from our desires, dreams, and just material things. We can’t always have everything we want, simply because there are too many things that we want and sometimes what we want may not be what is best for us. It is amazing how this applies to so many things in life, that sometimes we don’t get what we want because it is probably not what is best for us. And, sometimes there are things we don’t get and there isn’t such a reason, it could be that it isn’t the right time yet, God has another purpose for us or that isn’t what we really want. I think it really all comes down to CONTENTMENT and LOVING AND PUTTING GOD FIRST. Personally, i must say i really sometimes feel like to closer i get to all i ever wanted, the further i seem to get from it.
Just like the very well-known analogy that we have all heard before about the jar filled with golf balls, followed by pebbles, sand and finally water or in some cases beer. I was reminded about this story from a speech i chanced across on the internet an opening speech during the 2006 orientation talks in NUS, coincidentally that is hopefully where I’ll be in a months’ time. But, anw the interpretation that she had the speaker was a unique one from the one i’ve heard, in that she explains it more in terms of living a full life and less on the idea of priorities. In it she suggests that the golf balls are like family, friends and community, while pebbles are like our work and interests. These things make our lives full. The sand refers to the mundane things in life. At each point that each of the bigger things are put in first one by one, the jar is full, so similarly our lives are full. But, if we put the smaller things first it’s hard to fit in the bigger things. But, no matter how full our lives are we have more space if we had put the bigger things in first. For me the inspiration was in that, i realised that it also suggests that what really matters in life is our relationship with God and family and friends, with this we are already full in our lives and anything else that is the small things will fall into place and are just a bonus. It echoes really what the Bible teaches about in the verse, “ seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
It is well put by this commentary: The Bible’s conclusion on materialism is summed up when Jesus said, “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). What’s the point? The point is simple. Materialism is the act of putting ourselves first. God’s “materialism” is found in us putting Him first so that He may put us first. The Bible points out that God honours those who honour Him. Christ put it another way when He said, "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16). Jesus continually drew analogies of the Good Shepherd guarding and providing for His sheep that were in His fold. The error that is easily committed is in thinking God is obligated to make us wealthy, give us unlimited resources, and not hold us accountable in the process. This isn’t sound reason in our own business sense and neither is it in God’s. God does indeed want us to be content and lead a fulfilled life. He does not, however, want us to loose sight of the important, which is putting others and Himself first. More importantly, God expects us to be good stewards of the resources He does give us. The Bible’s conclusion on materialism is stated clearly on the cross. It is a message of love, not greed. It is a message of purpose, not pride. The Bible’s conclusion on materialism is simple, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). A little boy may love his ice cream on a hot summer day, but he loves his mother more.
Anw, to develop further, i would continue onto the topic of youths which i mentioned a bit about in my last post. I think materialism is one of the issues that plague youth today, as it goes with the erosion of values. And, in fact talking to my sis back that Wednesday about the people she knows in Australia whose lives are so much like the way dramas portray the superficial world, and the so called glitz and glamour. There is just so much drama with relationships, filling their lives with activities that aren’t healthy or meaningful, indulging in pleasure mindlessly and so many wild and misled youths. Really i can only think that is just like what the book soul cravings is all about and what Ecclesiastes is about, how we are craving for something more, and you want to satisfy this longing in your heart and you rebel and run away from God thinking you can find meaning through all the things that life has to offer, but in the end your journey takes you back to what you are actually craving for that is God. Everything under the sun is meaningless, but to fear God and keep His commandments is what matters. And, a life lived for God is indeed a life lived to the fullest, and it is never boring, the Bible says that delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
But, that doesn’t mean life is going to be easy, it will be hard and we would not always get what we want be we know that God has a good and perfect plan for our lives. Personally, look i’m going through that without a university place as yet and feeling left behind all my other peers going to uni but i know that the Lord has and i can go to uni just that i will probably end up doing something different from what i initially thought was my passion, but to something that is my strength and i can still feel passionate about. It us amazing how God works sometimes we don't get what want but instead we get something even better. Life has been hard for me but i know God wants the best life for me. And, life is about God’s glory and meaning life’s purposes are worship, fellowship, discipleship, mission and evangelism...the best life possible coz it’s the only way to live truly. So in this materialistic world we must not lose track of what life is really all about. And, you know many times we don’t get what we want but we must trust in the Lord’s plan for our lives to prosper and not to fail or harm us. The passion for life should be channelled into a passion for God’s will and His name, so the question we should ask ourselves each time we make a decision is how can i glorify the Lord. It is all about the motivation for our passions. Since we believe that God is the greatest authority, the creator and the king of kings, there nothing we can do but to love and worship God.
Finally, i feel that the reason that there is a problem in the world is that, sometimes we don’t accept the fact of an absolute truth of right and wrong as comes from God. And, i don’t mean that there is absolutely no such thing as issues of opinion and personal choice. Of course, like choosing what i want to wear has nothing to do with absolute truth. But, we must be careful in classifying what is a matter of opinion and what is a matter of morals. We very often see youths say what’s wrong with this and what’s wrong with that, but they need to have a clear distinction of what really is. And, by this we need to hear for the voice and will of God. And, we can more easily do this by knowing our Lord more, and by having the spirit who will lead us to a life that is pleasing to God as we go through the process of sanctification. On the other hand, we need to be careful not to become too self-righteous, and claim that we know perfectly the one and only way but we should seek the Lord guidance in correcting one another to examine what is really the truth in the matter of right and wrong. However, true as it may be that everyone has a choice to what they like to do and what they think is right, it cannot be put this way as an argument against trying to change people. Because, since indeed there is an absolute truth, there is really only one way to go as anything else will ultimately lead to death, eternal death.
To end, this materialistic world we must not lose focus on the ultimately all important thing that is our relationship with God, not material things, wealth, health, experiencing life and worldly success. The glory of God is our one and only aim in life, and we are called to a surrendered life in Christ according to His will and there is one absolute truth that is God is the only way. It is easy to forget what really matters in life, but we must fill our lives with what really matters and know
truly what really matters in this materialistic world.
Starting with Monday the 29th of June...basically Monday was like every other Monday except that i was a little irritated and felt sick of everyone for a while, anw i did the usual stuff at home and Tuesday again was nothing special except that I started Tuesday trainings for chess at home. Then, we made an effort to go out and do stuff beginning Wednesday, went out with my sis and dad to get my passport renewed and then went Taka to walk around I guess, do some shopping, find a book and run some errands. And, like my sis was talking about shopping and getting stuff that she likes. I also was sparked into deep thought by looking around at the many shops, not that it is anything like i haven’t seen shops in orchard, seriously I’m not as dorky that like I don’t go out and not know these stuff. But, it did remind me of truthfully of a lot of things in life that I do desire material wise. And, sure I still have in mind that buying things does not necessarily mean it is a non spiritual thing and that it isn’t good or right to buy stuff we want but that it can be worship when we thank God for blessing us richly with things. However, my question really is like we want so many things, so where do we draw the line and say enough is enough and how should we decide that we some purchase something or not. Thinking about it i don’t really think that there is a lot i want material wise maybe more computer games, more music and perhaps update my clothes. Really though, even small things like that, i think we can seek God’s will and if He really sets our hearts on something we can get it. But, i think from a logical point of view, i guess even economic theory can be used, like the basic concept of opportunity cost, basically we have unlimited wants, so to get round this we need to prioritise. And, also i guess based on a budget, we can decide what we will buy given this level of allowance...meaning we set aside a reasonable amount of money we can spend taking into account all the other compulsory stuff. Also, i think a guideline would be to consider each time if the item being spent on is in excess, like whether it is over-indulgence or not. And, another thing to consider is whether you really want the item truly or not. The key thing i feel is that we just put God first in everything and not let other things in this case material things become more important than it should be. And, meaningless as material things can be ultimately, it is okay to shop.
Thursday, was like any other day, so i shall move on to Friday. So yea, on Friday, we continued our second day of shopping trips as we went to Vivo City. Again, my dad and i could not find the chess book we were looking for, so we just spent the rest of the day walking around Vivo, for me it was like follow my sis and shop...which in the end left us going round the whole place and coming back with just a music CD for my sis and a shirt and a music CD for myself. Amazingly, i who wasn’t intending to get anything came back with more stuff than my sis who was the one who wanted to shop. And, I met Gen as i walked into the National Geographic store coincidentally. Ok, so that was that. And, as for the weekend, i had chess tournament, and unfortunately missed Church. My play definitely improved but my results were poor still and I got only 3 out of 7 points...the good thing, though was that it was good practise coming closer to the Asean Para Games Chess competition.
Now then, i guess I’ve only superficially discussed my main thoughts last week, so i’ll get further into my thoughts from here. Basically, i’m not just talking about shopping itself when i talk about materialism, but also how the world defines success, and about the things that are very much a part of our lives but have the danger of becoming more important than what really matters most that is the glory of God. The thing i think we should remember is that doing more things and owning more things does not make us a better and more valuable person, it is who we are that really matters. There are a lot of things that we want from our desires, dreams, and just material things. We can’t always have everything we want, simply because there are too many things that we want and sometimes what we want may not be what is best for us. It is amazing how this applies to so many things in life, that sometimes we don’t get what we want because it is probably not what is best for us. And, sometimes there are things we don’t get and there isn’t such a reason, it could be that it isn’t the right time yet, God has another purpose for us or that isn’t what we really want. I think it really all comes down to CONTENTMENT and LOVING AND PUTTING GOD FIRST. Personally, i must say i really sometimes feel like to closer i get to all i ever wanted, the further i seem to get from it.
Just like the very well-known analogy that we have all heard before about the jar filled with golf balls, followed by pebbles, sand and finally water or in some cases beer. I was reminded about this story from a speech i chanced across on the internet an opening speech during the 2006 orientation talks in NUS, coincidentally that is hopefully where I’ll be in a months’ time. But, anw the interpretation that she had the speaker was a unique one from the one i’ve heard, in that she explains it more in terms of living a full life and less on the idea of priorities. In it she suggests that the golf balls are like family, friends and community, while pebbles are like our work and interests. These things make our lives full. The sand refers to the mundane things in life. At each point that each of the bigger things are put in first one by one, the jar is full, so similarly our lives are full. But, if we put the smaller things first it’s hard to fit in the bigger things. But, no matter how full our lives are we have more space if we had put the bigger things in first. For me the inspiration was in that, i realised that it also suggests that what really matters in life is our relationship with God and family and friends, with this we are already full in our lives and anything else that is the small things will fall into place and are just a bonus. It echoes really what the Bible teaches about in the verse, “ seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
It is well put by this commentary: The Bible’s conclusion on materialism is summed up when Jesus said, “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). What’s the point? The point is simple. Materialism is the act of putting ourselves first. God’s “materialism” is found in us putting Him first so that He may put us first. The Bible points out that God honours those who honour Him. Christ put it another way when He said, "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16). Jesus continually drew analogies of the Good Shepherd guarding and providing for His sheep that were in His fold. The error that is easily committed is in thinking God is obligated to make us wealthy, give us unlimited resources, and not hold us accountable in the process. This isn’t sound reason in our own business sense and neither is it in God’s. God does indeed want us to be content and lead a fulfilled life. He does not, however, want us to loose sight of the important, which is putting others and Himself first. More importantly, God expects us to be good stewards of the resources He does give us. The Bible’s conclusion on materialism is stated clearly on the cross. It is a message of love, not greed. It is a message of purpose, not pride. The Bible’s conclusion on materialism is simple, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). A little boy may love his ice cream on a hot summer day, but he loves his mother more.
Anw, to develop further, i would continue onto the topic of youths which i mentioned a bit about in my last post. I think materialism is one of the issues that plague youth today, as it goes with the erosion of values. And, in fact talking to my sis back that Wednesday about the people she knows in Australia whose lives are so much like the way dramas portray the superficial world, and the so called glitz and glamour. There is just so much drama with relationships, filling their lives with activities that aren’t healthy or meaningful, indulging in pleasure mindlessly and so many wild and misled youths. Really i can only think that is just like what the book soul cravings is all about and what Ecclesiastes is about, how we are craving for something more, and you want to satisfy this longing in your heart and you rebel and run away from God thinking you can find meaning through all the things that life has to offer, but in the end your journey takes you back to what you are actually craving for that is God. Everything under the sun is meaningless, but to fear God and keep His commandments is what matters. And, a life lived for God is indeed a life lived to the fullest, and it is never boring, the Bible says that delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
But, that doesn’t mean life is going to be easy, it will be hard and we would not always get what we want be we know that God has a good and perfect plan for our lives. Personally, look i’m going through that without a university place as yet and feeling left behind all my other peers going to uni but i know that the Lord has and i can go to uni just that i will probably end up doing something different from what i initially thought was my passion, but to something that is my strength and i can still feel passionate about. It us amazing how God works sometimes we don't get what want but instead we get something even better. Life has been hard for me but i know God wants the best life for me. And, life is about God’s glory and meaning life’s purposes are worship, fellowship, discipleship, mission and evangelism...the best life possible coz it’s the only way to live truly. So in this materialistic world we must not lose track of what life is really all about. And, you know many times we don’t get what we want but we must trust in the Lord’s plan for our lives to prosper and not to fail or harm us. The passion for life should be channelled into a passion for God’s will and His name, so the question we should ask ourselves each time we make a decision is how can i glorify the Lord. It is all about the motivation for our passions. Since we believe that God is the greatest authority, the creator and the king of kings, there nothing we can do but to love and worship God.
Finally, i feel that the reason that there is a problem in the world is that, sometimes we don’t accept the fact of an absolute truth of right and wrong as comes from God. And, i don’t mean that there is absolutely no such thing as issues of opinion and personal choice. Of course, like choosing what i want to wear has nothing to do with absolute truth. But, we must be careful in classifying what is a matter of opinion and what is a matter of morals. We very often see youths say what’s wrong with this and what’s wrong with that, but they need to have a clear distinction of what really is. And, by this we need to hear for the voice and will of God. And, we can more easily do this by knowing our Lord more, and by having the spirit who will lead us to a life that is pleasing to God as we go through the process of sanctification. On the other hand, we need to be careful not to become too self-righteous, and claim that we know perfectly the one and only way but we should seek the Lord guidance in correcting one another to examine what is really the truth in the matter of right and wrong. However, true as it may be that everyone has a choice to what they like to do and what they think is right, it cannot be put this way as an argument against trying to change people. Because, since indeed there is an absolute truth, there is really only one way to go as anything else will ultimately lead to death, eternal death.
To end, this materialistic world we must not lose focus on the ultimately all important thing that is our relationship with God, not material things, wealth, health, experiencing life and worldly success. The glory of God is our one and only aim in life, and we are called to a surrendered life in Christ according to His will and there is one absolute truth that is God is the only way. It is easy to forget what really matters in life, but we must fill our lives with what really matters and know
truly what really matters in this materialistic world.
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