SOME COSTS
OF MASS CONSUMERISM
By Jim Jordal
"Don't lay up treasures for yourselves
on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and
steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; for where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also…"No one can serve two masters,
for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted
to one and despise the other. You can't serve both God and Mammon. “ Matt.
6:19-21, 24
He said to them, "Beware! Keep
yourselves from covetousness, for a man's life doesn't consist of the abundance
of the things which he possesses."
Luke 12:15
If you
think we’re not caught in a vicious circle of mass consumerism, along with its
small benefits and massive costs, you’d better retune your antennae because
you’re not getting a clear signal. It’s an issue of great importance, yet few
people speak out on it. Why? Probably because people either don’t recognize the
trap they’re in, or because speaking out may cost them jobs, family, friends or
even their lives. As the old saying goes: “It’s difficult to persuade a man of
something when his livelihood depends on his not believing it.”
In the Scriptures
above Jesus mentions several traps---all connected to spiritual matters. The
first is fear of being short when retirement comes. Now there’s nothing wrong
with prudence in matters financial, nor is it wrong to be well-fixed
financially, since this is a blessing from God. What is wrong occurs when we
fear our financial future so much that we forget God and his morality in our
desperate search for financial security. The result is that we give too much
attention to laying up treasures on earth rather than in heaven because our
perception of reality is that we must prepare for disaster rather than
blessing.
A second
trap of mass consumerism is that our heart tends to follow our treasure unless
both heart and treasure are brought into unity through God’s grace. What a
tragedy that so many people seem willing to trade the peace and joy arising
from surrendering our wishes to God for a mere set of temporary “things” that
do nothing to enhance life except to provide bragging points and helping the
growing rental storage business for all those things we own, but can’t fit into
our homes.
Another trap
is that because mass consumerism is so closely allied with what Scripture calls
“mammon” (avarice for wealth), we cannot faithfully serve God unless we
surrender our lust for money and what it buys. According to Proverbs 6:16-19 there
are seven things the Lord hates as abominations to him: “Haughty eyes, a
lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood; A heart that devises wicked
schemes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief, A false witness who
utters lies, And he who sows discord among brothers.” A similar list was
compiled by Pope Gregory in about 600 AD, and included: lust, gluttony, greed,
sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. So the trap of mammon finds us bound in the tightening
coils of sin so completely that we sacrifice our thoughts, attitudes, and even
basic moral codes so that we may have more of what we mistakenly think is the
true wealth. How many people worldwide are destroyed every year by this vicious
trap that measures the meaning of life by how many possessions we own or
control? Consider the anguish of many caught in this trap as they moan over the
meaningless of “things” when compared with the true wealth of knowing God and
enjoying his favor.
And then
there’s the issue of what mass consumerism is doing to the sustainability of
earth’s resources, favorable climate, and pollution levels. According to a vast
array of climate scientists the earth cannot continue the path we are on, with
greed for growth and increased profits causing us to reject membership in some
worldwide groups attempting to implement change, and to drag our feet at the
prospect of any common sense being applied to the greed and pride currently
driving U.S. policy.
God has
promised us a change in attitude and values known as the New Covenant found in
Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8. He promises to give as a new heart receptive to his
law, and a new spirit to motivate our actions. It can’t come too soon.
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