The Well-Earned Vacation Disrupted
I was on my way to a well-deserved retirement. Having success in business for the past 16 years, a modest house, 2 cars in the driveway, a dog and grown kids, grandkids on the way and 401k and SSI on the horizon. Smooth sailing ahead.*
More than likely if you’re older than 50, thoughts like these are common. I’ve worked hard, have earned a spot on the front porch with a beer or iced tea, a boat, golf a few times a week, traveling around the states in your RV. This is the feeling of many hardworking white- and blue-collar workers, it’s the “American Dream.” It is a tragedy of little to no vision to build God’s kingdom and no thought of investing in your eternity, it’s all about comfort in the here and now.
The problem for Christians is, it’s not biblical. The so called “American Dream” can be used by the enemy to derail you from finishing your life strong for Jesus. This would be the 3 rd soil in the parable of the sower:
“And the others (seeds) are the ones sown among thorns, they are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” Mark 4:18 ESV
Digital marketing experts estimate the average American is exposed to 4,000- 10,000 advertisements a day (Forbes Aug. 2017). American advertisers are paid to create covetousness in you. They want you to feel FOMO (fear of missing out)- The latest smart phone, new EV car, a bigger 4k TV, a boat, and junk food! The enemy uses these to distract you from being effective for the kingdom. He temps you with things to hijack your life through the “cares of the world,” the “deceitfulness of riches,” and living for things which render you unfruitful in the sunsetyears of your life.
To quote Rick Warren in his book, The Purpose-Driven Life, “Money has the greatest potential to replace God in your life. More people are sidetracked from serving (God’s kingdom) by materialism than by anything else…When Jesus is your Master, money serves you, but if money is your master, you become it’s slave.”**
Many Christians are being derailed from their God given purpose in life. They are allowing the cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches and desires of other things choke their life, rending them unfruitful on earth and without treasures in the next life.
Here are some questions we need to ask ourselves:
Do we see money and possessions as gifts from God?
Are you being owned by your possessions?
Do you see some areas of life that God owns and some that you own?
Are you using things to build God’s kingdom or your own kingdom on earth?
What are you doing to invest in God’s kingdom and your eternity?
What if you put everything under the control of God?
A more biblical model is found in the 4 th soil in that parable: “And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty-fold, sixty-fold and a hundred-fold.” Mark 4:8 ESV
You have the Imago Dei. What would your life look like if you had a passion to finish your life strong (Imago Dei) by serving and giving to build God’s kingdom on earth and storing treasures for your eternity? I challenge you, finish your life strong by abiding in Jesus which produces spiritual fruit, and a desire for serving, generous giving and obeying His command to “… lay up for yourselves, treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:19-21)
Now that would be an amazing way to meet Jesus when the bell tolls for thee!
**Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 267