Many of us, including myself, have become spoiled in that we
have become “consumer” minded. We see
the newest gadget on the market and think we “have to have it.” May God deliver us from that consumer
mentality!!! We are driven by greed to
always want and have more! We need to
face the fact that it is due to the sin of selfishness and self-centeredness
within us!!! We have become “consumed” by what our neighbor has, driven by the TV and
newspaper ads telling us of a great sale they have, and our thinking that we
have to have it. Because of our wants
(what we “think” we need) and not living within our means, credit card debt has
skyrocketed and has driven us into a lifetime of debt, which then becomes
bondage to us. (I like what I heard Dave
Ramsey and the late Larry Burkett say about credit cards. If you cannot pay off your credit card (in
full) the following month after your purchase, you need to cut up the card (s)
and throw them away.) We see that same problem even within our government
spending!!! It is out of control!!! This is what the Bible calls the lust of the
eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Instead, we are to be content with the things
we have (Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:11) and live within our means!!! MAY GOD
DELIVER US FROM OURSELVES!!!
Instead of being “consumer minded”, God wants us to share
what we have with those that are in need. When my Bible study group and I were
doing a series on “Outlive Your Life” by Max Lucado (highly recommended), we
decided to take the challenge to begin to give to the poor and needy the same
amount of money that we spent on ourselves (our “wants”). Most of us do not think about spending money
on our selfish wants, but when we instead have to begin giving that same amount
to the poor and needy, we balk. This really shows us our hearts!!! So we have to ask ourselves these questions: “Is this a need or a want?” There clearly is a
difference!!!
Most Africans, on the other hand, live day to day with no
credit cards, no shopping sprees to the mall, no Star Bucks, but instead, barely
even know what it is to have a piece of furniture in their home, live in a 8 x
8 shack or hut, and can barely make it through the day. Many go days and days without even eating,
get chased out of their little huts because they are so poor they cannot even afford
the $40 per month rent, or get sent home from school because they could not pay
their school fees. Most of them do not even get an opportunity to go to school,
because they do not have money for the tuition and do not even know what a
grant, scholarship, student loan, or free school lunch is. BUT WHAT THEY DO HAVE IS HUMILITY, LOVE, AND A
LOT OF RESPECT FOR OTHERS!!!! THEY TRULY
HAVE HEARTS OF GOLD!!!! WE TRULY COULD
LEARN A LOT OF THINGS FROM THEM!!!!
By helping Africans
dig out of the “poverty mode” they are stuck in, we can give them a future and
a hope!!! They just need someone to come along side of them, believe in them
and their need, and love them. As Max Lucado said, “We need to see past their
eyes, and look way down deep into their need and their heart” (paraphrased). It may be a simple thing as helping them pay
for schooling, food, rent, or helping them with their medical needs. WHEN WE COME ALONG-SIDE THEM, WE ARE
LITERALLY POURING INTO THEIR FUTURE AND CHANGING THEIR DESTINY!!!
Won’t you reach out and be a blessing? IT TRULY IS IN GIVING THAT YOU
RECEIVE!!!! It may not be a financial
blessing that you receive back!!! Like
Dan & Julie DeYoung, the blessing may come in unusual ways, such as
sparking a new friendship or gaining a daughter or son of a different race and
nationality!!!!! Remember, I went to be
a blessing on my mission trip last year to Uganda, but I was truly the one that
got blessed and it has changed my life forever!!! I have been blessed many times over with the additions
to my new “family” of awesome Africans!!!
REMEMBER WE ARE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING!!!!!
Forever changed,
Mary