Chasing What is Cheap

1 Timothy 6:6-10 ⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

When we are not buying lottery tickets or watching big winnings on game shows, one of our favorite national pastimes is wandering through shopping malls just to see what else we can want.

Our shop-till-you-drop society has produced the Home Shopping Network and all its spinoffs, displaying products on television to be purchased just by making a phone call. And even more so on our day is online shopping; you don’t even have to get off the couch to buy anything you could possibly desire. Amazon and Ebay are among the most visited websites on the internet. Our culture has a materialistic obsession.

What is the result of the riches that we so desperately desire?

Dr. Aaron Beck did a ten-year study of patients who are hospitalized with suicidal tendencies. What he said was, "risk of suicide increases, with resources." The more stuff you that the more likely you are to kill yourself. Poor people rarely do it.

Another medical study proved, and I quote, "Subtract two years from your life if your family income is over $40,000 a year."

Another study showed the moral decline and family devastation of this obsession with money, "Among both men and women the incidents of marital infidelity rises in conjunction with an increase in income. Of the married men earning $20,000, only 31 percent conducted extramarital love affairs. Of the men earning more than $60,000, 70 percent did.

Money is the number one motive for committing a crime.

We are paying dearly for chasing what is cheap. As Christians we must not fall into the trap of loving money. The riches of this world can in no way compare to the riches of the Kingdom of God.

⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Notice it does not say that ‘money is the root of all evil’; it says ‘the “love” of money.’ As Christians we must be very careful not to fall into the trap of loving money.