Jennifer Aniston unloaded $50 grand for a month of $2,000 haircuts...
Does this make your stomach sick?
It should.
We are *really* good at pointing out sin in others' lives and then feeling alot better about ourselves. I dared to browse through the comments, and amid the usual "OMG F OBAMA STUPID PREISADENT GOD WIL JDGEU US KNOW!!11!1!@" comments, I found a rather insightful and convicting statement:
"for the people who are complaining about other people losing jobs and that she
should have given the money to poor people in Africa... ...maybe you should
think about giving up that Ipod, or plasma TV, or extra pair of high heels you
were going to splurge on and give the money to charity. In all honesty, I'm sure
starving children would probably look at us with our materialistic lifestyle in
the way we are looking at Paris Hilton with all her diamonds right now."
Instead of ranting about others' materialism, self-absorbtion and apathetic avoidance of their neighbors, I want to realize that *I* am the problem.
Where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.
If I look at my credit card statement, I *really* think that my standard of living is more important than others living.
I skated by the homeless on the Mon River Trail and dropped $12 bucks on dinner last night. Had I driven five more miles, I could have eaten at home for less than $5. What happened? I *really* wanted chinese. I *deserve* it. I've *earned* it. Right?
I. I. *I*. My tastes, my entitlement, my life, my kingdom.
That's what I was created for, right? Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
God calls us to lay down our lives for His Kingdom...
... sometimes I can't even lay down my taste for Chinese food.
Paris Hilton, Jennifer Aniston, and I all love our lives, our kingdoms, our happiness.
He who loves his life in this world, will lose it (John 12:25).
Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. (Matthew 25:45)
How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. (Luke 18:24)
Jesus have mercy on us.
May we trade our selfish desires and materialism for the all-satisfying sufficiency of Christ. May we *live* sacrificially and *give* lavishly.
I do not want to stand before the Creator of the Universe, who emptied himself in humility and gave his love, his riches, his life, his all for his children with nothing but Chinese food receipts.
No comments:
Post a Comment