When Dreams Become Nightmares
Some
people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith, and pierced themselves
with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10b, NIV)
The lover of money will not be satisfied with
money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes
5:10)
For
what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?
Or what will they give in return for their life? (Matthew 16:26)
I.
The American Dream
A. What Characterizes the Greatest Hopes, Desires, and Dreams of Most Americans?
For
most people, the American Dream has to do with a subconscious desire for
achieving success and satisfying the desire for material possessions. It is the
opportunity to pursue more than what we have, to gain more than what we have,
and to meet success. We tend to measure our success by the stuff that we
possess.
B. The Pursuit of Immediate Material Pleasure
The love of
money and the things money can buy is a primary or secondary motive behind most
of what we Americans do. We want to consume, acquire, and buy our way to
happiness—and we want it now.
II.
The American Nightmare
The American Dream has become an American Nightmare
due to two distinct yet related illnesses that impact us both socially and
spiritually.
A. Affluenza
Affluenza is the constant need for more and bigger and better
stuff—as well as the effect that this need has on us. It is the desire to
acquire, and most of us have been infected by this virus to some degree.
·
The average
American home went from 1,660 square feet in 1973 to 2,400 square feet in 2004.
·
Today there is
estimated to be 1.9 billion square feet of self-storage space in America.1
B. Credit-itis
Credit-itis is an illness that is brought on by the opportunity to
buy now and pay later, and it feeds on our desire for instant gratification.
Our economy today is built on the concept of credit-itis. Unfortunately, it has
exploited our lack of self-discipline and allowed us to feed our affluenza,
wreaking havoc in our personal and national finances.
·
Average credit card debt in America in 1990 was
around $3,000. Today it’s over $9,000.2
·
The average sale is around 125 percent higher if
we use a credit card than if we pay cash, because it doesn’t feel real when we
use plastic instead of cash.
·
Credit-itis is not limited to purchases made
with credit cards; it extends to car loans, mortgages, and other loans. The
life of the average car loan and home mortgage continues to increase, while the
average American’s savings rate continues to decline.
III.
The Deeper Problem Within
A. There Is a Spiritual Issue Beneath the Surface of Affluenza and Credit-itis.
Our souls were created in the
image of God, but they have been distorted. We were meant to desire God, but we
have turned that desire toward possessions. We were meant to find our security
in God, but we find it in amassing wealth. We were meant to love people, but
instead we compete with them. We were meant to enjoy the simple pleasures of
life, but we busy ourselves with pursuing money and things. We were meant to be
generous and to share with those in need, but we selfishly hoard our resources
for ourselves. There is a sin nature within us.
B. The Devil Plays Upon This Sin Nature.
Jesus said, “The thief comes only
to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it
abundantly” (John 10:10). The devil doesn’t need to tempt us to do drugs
or to steal or to have an extramarital affair in order to destroy us. All he
needs to do is convince us to keep pursuing the American Dream—to keep up with
the Joneses, borrow against our futures, enjoy more than we can afford, and
indulge ourselves. By doing that, he will rob us of joy, make us slaves, and
keep us from doing God’s will.
·
Matthew 4:8-10
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to
him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship
me." Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is
written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' "
·
Luke 8:14
As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear;
but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and
pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
·
Mark 8:36 For what will it profit them to gain
the whole world and forfeit their life?
·
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root
of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away
from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains
IV.
The Bible’s Solution
A. We Need a Heart Change
Although we receive a changed
heart when we accept Christ, in a sense we need a heart change every morning.
Each morning we should get down on our knees and say, “Lord, help me to be the
person you want me to be today. Take
away the desires that shouldn’t be there, and help me be single-minded in my
focus and my pursuit of you.” As we do this, God comes and cleanses us from the
inside out, purifying our hearts.
B. We Must Allow Christ to Work in Us
Christ works in us as we seek
first his kingdom and strive to do his will. As this happens, we begin to sense
a higher calling—a calling to simplicity and faithfulness and generosity. We
begin to look at ways we can make a difference with our time and talents and
resources. By pursuing good financial practices, we free ourselves from debt so
that we are able to be in mission to the world. A key part of finding financial
and spiritual freedom is found in simplicity and in exercising restraint. With
the help of God, we can:
·
simplify our lives and silence the voices
constantly telling us we need more
·
live counter-culturally by living below, not
above, our means
·
build into our budgets the money to buy with
cash instead of credit
·
build into our budgets what we need to be able
to live generously and faithfully
1
“Self-storage Nation: Americans Are Storing More Stuff Than Ever,” by Tom
Vanderbilt, July 18, 2005; http://www.slate.com/id/2122832/.
2
“Credit Card Debt Statistics,” by Mark Brinker, August 2008;
www.hoffmanbrinker.com/credit-card-debt-statistics.html.
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