Keeping Up With the Jones'

As you well know by now, I absolutely love quotes (especially the Bible). Here are a few I found that address a topic close to my heart right now. To be honest, it is something that has been revealed as a personal struggle and it's danger is unavoidable.

"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy "stuff" we don't need."    -Brad Pitt in Fight Club


"They has their cynical code worked out. The public are swine; advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill-bucket."
-George Orwell, Animal Farm


That demon of comparison: it is attacks from every angle. You cancel your cable subscription to avoid the commercials advertising the fast new cars you need to succeed, only to drive past billboard  promoting the newest phone, the  prettiest hair, and the best food. Subliminally (or often, not so much) we sent messages about things we need in order be truly successful. I mean, after all, everyone knows you don't have a real phone until you get the new iphone; that is, until they come out with the next smart phone. And only houses decorated with Pottery Barn are truly a cozy home. Truly successful people shop at Barney's and Dash. Life is purely seen in black white until you get that new red Shelby; only then can you see in color. And of course, the more education you get the more esteemed you will be. You get my point. And let me be honest once more; each of these examples are lies with which I personally struggle. 


How destructive these lies are!!  I mean, if I acted on every one of these lies (and more....) I'd be most assuredly deeply depressed from the constant dissatisfaction (and probably in a poor house somewhere).


What is true success then? I believe it is the exact opposite. The people who have truly  succeeded are the ones who have been able to counter these constant attacks. While iphones and Mustangs are not bad (that would be the easy answer!) they should not symbolize success. My black-and-white, purely logical personality would love to say Banana Republic and Pottery Barn are evil and should be avoided. Instead they need to be included with balance. 

1 Timothy 6
³ If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, ⁴ they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions ⁵ and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

 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. 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.

I hope you are thinking," Wow..'some have wandered from the faith'!? That's serious." Yes, it really is. God has used a week in south Florida to reveal the intense danger of this. To see people so consumed with things, living the life I have always dreamed of, yet so completely empty and discouraged. It has been humbling and quite frankly is has been terrifying. It is so easy to get into the "keeping up with the Jones" mentality; the traps are set everywhere. How do we avoid them?

The answer is found in the following verses.

¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you ¹⁴ to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

It's not about turning off your TV or not looking at magazines. It's about pursuing godliness, fighting the good fight of faith. It is about doing whatever it is you need to do to stay focused on the goal: make God famous. For you that may mean avoiding the mall; I know for me there are going to be some changes in made in my daily life. And instead of being bitter about being two hours from Starbucks and forty minutes from my favorite gym, I am learning to thankful that God has given me a break from those "traps", and has highlighted others.  

So next time you see Starbucks as a necessity, or even a necessary evil, view it in the Biblical light. Will this help or hinder my ultimate goal of glorifying God?


Verse 18 says, "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share."

Warning of the Danger Ahead

With my previously mentioned extensive experience with traffic cops, one of my favorite services to the community has become the "warning lights." "Warning lights" is that courteous blinking of your car head lights to cars headed in the other direction when there is an accident or more importantly a cop hiding up ahead. Every time I successfully pass a cop, I feel it is my duty to warn passing cars of the danger ahead. Maybe it's revenge, but it gives me such a rush of pride and  that "haha, you won't be giving any speeding tickets as long as I have anything to say about it" feeling.  Don't lie; you know the feeling.

Now don't take this analogy too far. I do know that cops are GENERALLY my friend. I will always be indebted to that cop who came to check out the strange man knocking on doors at my apartment in Statesboro, and the one who picked up the drugged up lady banging on our door last month at 2 am. However, it may take me years of counseling and reconciliation to appreciate the role of traffic cops; just give me time. 

Last Friday I had the opportunity to perform my civic duty with pride. Suddenly it hit me: I was warning them of the danger to come, much like we should warn our friends of the Judgement to come. Yes I know, for all of you perfect drivers out there it is a stretch to compare passing a cop to eternity in hell, but I have faith that there is at least one of you out there who shares my terror of blue lights. Work with me here. 

This thought brought more thinking. Why do I get so much pride and joy from my "warning lights" yet have to work up my energy to even mention church or Bible study to my coworkers, friends, and neighbors? My job is to warn them of the "Danger" ahead; it is part of the Great Commission. Not only am I called to warn them of hell, but I am also supposed to "make disciples." That means warning (and preparing) young believers of the trouble ahead in the Christian life. Why is there so little pride and joy from that??

More thinking brought the following conviction (it was a long drive): my measurement of worth has been off. As an average American girl, I subconsciously expect immediate results. I want a job now or I feel like a failure; I want to shop now or I feel behind in the styles; I want to watch someone drive by the cop safely now or I feel that their evil scheme to provide everyone in the world with a speeding ticket has succeeded....

 

My point: making disciples is not something that produces immediate results. But it is what produces true and lasting results. The generation of immediate results has resulted in churches that base their growth and success on how many people attend church Sunday morning rather than how many are involved in active discipleship.  Numbers is an immediate result, but that should not be what gives us pride and excitement. 

So next time sometime kindly warns you of the "danger" ahead on the roads, take that as a reminder to warn those around you of the dangers in this Christian life.