If you’re old enough to remember the 1980s and 1990s, or have watched the Netflix series, Stranger Things, then you’ve probably heard the song, Material Girl, by Madonna. It’s a catchy pop song that’s fun to listen to and sing along with. I certainly enjoy it from time to time. The chorus goes like this:
“Cause everybody’s living in a material world, and I am a material girl.”
When we think about the lyrics to the song, and look at how people live today, it’s easy to see how we go after worldly possessions: a bigger house, a fancy car or two, Black Friday spending frenzies, and many more things. We look at what others have and desire it for ourselves. If you’re not religious or Christian, I guess you can live however you want, but if you claim to be a Christian, then…is this how we should live our lives as believers in Christ and God?
Where is Your Heart?
As believers, we must always check our hearts with God’s word. We live in such a chaotic world, and it can get hard to always remember to whom we belong. The apostle John writes to believers about where our love should be.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
1 John 2:15-17
In the song, Material Girl, the singer mentions how even though she likes boys who show affection, she really loves boys who can spend money [on her]. Wealth, riches, and all that comes with it seem very desirable. We can have anything we desire, go anywhere we want, and have an easygoing relaxed life. That definitely sounds nice, doesn’t it? Her (the singer’s) heart is set on the riches and pleasures of life. But as John writes to us, we as Christians should not love the things of the world because none of those things are lasting. We see plenty of wealthy people in the world, but are any of them truly happy with their life? Do they ever wish there was something more?
As Christians, we must not let ourselves get caught up in the pleasures and worries of this life. If we do, we won’t be able to remain in God’s Word, and then what’s our end? It’s certainly NOT a good one. Jesus tells us of what happens to those whose hearts become trapped by the things of this world in the gospels.
“And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those 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.”
Luke 8:14
“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”
Matthew 13:22
Those believers whose hearts become enamored with the things of this world, its pleasures, and riches, are like the thorny field that doesn’t mature and bear fruit. In farming, if a farmer has an unfruitful tree or bush, will he keep it around? No, he won’t. The farmer wants to reap the fruit of his orchard and make a profit off it. What do you think God and Jesus will do if their believers don’t bear the fruits they desire?
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”
John 15:5-6
Jesus says those believers are “cut off and burned”. That sounds pretty harsh, right? As we read in the gospels, those who don’t remain in Jesus’s words, who leave it, will be those who are cut off. As John said, the world and its pleasures pass away but those who remain in God and do His will abide forever. Our treasure, the hope of heaven and eternal life with God and Jesus in heaven, is so much greater than anything this world can give us. But again, where is your heart?
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21
Spiritual Riches Are Greater Than Earthly Riches
The Apostle Paul is an example we can look to when it comes to receiving the true understanding of God’s Word. In Philippians 3, Paul tells us of how he was “a Pharisee of Pharisees”, someone who excelled well in accordance with the Law (of Moses), but after receiving revelation from Christ, he counted his prior achievements worthless (Phil. 3:8). Like Paul, we must get rid of our own thoughts and misunderstandings of the Bible, then learn and accept the true teaching God gives through His messenger. In Proverbs we are reminded of how valuable wisdom and understanding of God’s word are.
How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.Proverbs 16:16
If we only build up earthly riches, they will not last. That desire for wealth and greed will take us away from God’s Word. If we don’t remain in God’s Word and obey it, will we be able to enter heaven? The Apostles Paul and James strongly remind us of what happens if we let worldly riches and greed cloud our hearts.
“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
1 Timothy 6:9-10
“Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.”
James 5:2-3
Jesus says we cannot serve two masters, that we will love one and hate the other (Matt. 6:21). Instead of running after worldly wealth, we should build spiritual wealth.
Putting God’s Word to Work
In Ecclesiastes 3, it says there’s a time for everything. A time to live and a time to die. A time to laugh and a time to mourn. And a time to sow and a time to reap. Spiritually, there is a time to learn and a time to teach. As with any knowledge or understanding of something great, it’s no good just to keep it to yourself. When you get something new you’re excited about, do you just keep it to yourself or do you tell someone? Usually, the first thing we do is run and tell our family or close friends. As we grow in understanding and faith in God’s Word, then we should act by spreading the Word.
Bearing Fruits and Bearing Profits
Jesus talks about bearing fruit in John 15, that he is the true vine, and his disciples are the branches. He said if believers remain in his words, they will bear much fruit. Those fruits aren’t literal fruits, as Jesus isn’t a literal tree. When we understand the Bible correctly, we learn that fruits can refer to words (Prov. 18:20), actions (Matt. 7:15-20), and also people. In James 1:18 it says,
“Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
Those believers who are born of God’s word, those “firstfruits”, are the riches we are meant to build. God’s Word is more valuable than any earthly jewel or rare metal, and in God’s eyes His people are precious to Him (1 Peter 2:4-5).
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells three parables. One of them, The Parable of the Talents (25:14-30), teaches us of knowing the value of God’s Word. In that parable, a master gives three of his works an amount of gold according to each worker’s ability, and then goes away for a while. Two workers took the gold they received, invested it, and then made a return doubling their initial amount. The third worker, however, dug a hole and hid his amount in the ground. When the master returns, he takes an account of what his workers did. The two that made a profit were rewarded while the one who dug a hole was cast out.
That parable is about Jesus’s return. The master is Jesus, the gold is the knowledge and understanding (Prov. 16:16) of God’s Word, and the workers are us. Out of the three workers in the parable, which ones should we be like? Hopefully NOT like that third servant who was lazy. Jesus said that those who do not bear fruit will be cut off and thrown into the fire. He’s not talking about non-believers here, but about believers who don’t put their faith into action.
If we truly believe in God’s and Jesus’s words, then we should share these amazing words with others (after we understand them for ourselves first). The two workers in the parable took their gold and made a profit. Jesus’s disciples evangelized after Jesus went to heaven and began churches all over the known world at that time.
Today, as we are believers waiting for the second coming, we should work hard to evangelize others and make spiritual profits (i.e. “treasures”) so when Jesus returns we won’t be thrown out like that lazy workers. If we don’t work and just keep the knowledge for ourselves, then those words about the lazy worker will be fulfilled in us. That’s a scary thought. If we are cut off from the true vine that is Jesus, then we are cut off from life. If we’re cut off from life, then what’s left? Sadly, it’s eternal death.
Yet, for us to work and share this amazing word, we must make sure we understand it for ourselves first. There’s a story in Acts 18 about a believer named Apollos. He was teaching others about the gospel (of the first coming), but he wasn’t fully instructed. The story says he knew of the baptism of John the Baptist but didn’t know the rest of the story. Two other believers, Priscilla and Aquila, overheard him and corrected him. They completed his knowledge so he could continue preaching rightly (see Acts 18:24-28). We must first know the word for ourselves before we teach others. Then after that, we can work for God’s kingdom.
If we don’t work in our real-life jobs, then we will be fired. If we don’t work in our spiritual jobs, then we will be fired. I don’t want to be fired, and I hope you don’t either. So let us be like those first two servants and not the last one.
Let’s Not Become Material Girls
Even though we are living in a material world, we should not become material people, but spiritual people. We all need material things for our lives: food, shelter, clothing, and money to support ourselves and our families, but as Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6, we should not run after these things and worry about them. God knows what we need and will provide. Instead, we should focus on understanding God’s Word – especially the prophecies in the New Testament – so we can be ready for the second coming when it happens. Funny thing, in Buddhism, central teaching is freeing oneself from physical attachments to wealth or other material things and pursuing enlightenment. That enlightenment doesn’t come by our own doing but from God.
So, let us remember that God’s Word is more valuable than gold, silver, or precious stones and that we should build spiritual riches through learning God’s Word and sharing it with others. I will do my best to keep learning and sharing God’s Word and I hope you can do the same.
Written by Kenny
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