Materialism

Last year we had a foreign exchange student from East Berlin in our Sunday School class. I asked her what she thought the main difference between our culture and the East German culture was. She thought a minute and said that Americans are much more materialistic and consumptive than in her country . We shop a lot and buy whatever we want, whenever we want it. We upgrade whenever we can afford to. When something breaks, instead of fixing it, we throw it away and buy a new one.
Guilty on all charges.
I recently read an article about a young man who decided to do something about materialism in his life. He counted all his possessions and decided to limit himself to only 200 items! That includes all clothing, furniture, books, appliances, electronics, CD's, tools, etc. I admire his effort. I think it's a little too late for me to try something like this, but it should make us stop and think about how much we have as opposed to how much we really need. There are so many people in the world that don't even have their needs met. We should be very thankful for what we have, and very careful with what we want.


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:
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.
So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
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.
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, and there was no profit under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:7-11