In class we began to talk about how much of the church’s time, energy, and money goes into catering to its own members. The general consensus in the class was that the church would be much better off allocating these resources in different areas outside of the church itself. As the church is a missional entity, I have no doubt that the class came to the right conclusion. Therefore I left class with very little troubling me about this discussion.
Coming home tonight though, something started to burn in my heart about this discussion we had. I looked at the many different items strewn throughout my room and thought about all the resources that these items have consumed in my own life. I will give just a small example. I really like to longboard. I currently have two of my own and have previously given one away. In total then, I could fairly accurately say that there have been over $700 worth of longboard gear in my hands at some point and time. Now I think that having hobbies is good and very beneficial, but I want to think about what else this money could have gone towards. For many organizations, $700 could support a child for 2 years. Or even locally, this could provide many meals for the homeless that I see almost daily. There are many other ways that I could have used this money to sow into the Kingdom, yet I decided to spend it on myself. Much like the churches we talked about, I am much more eager to provide for myself than to give money for Kingdom work.
This was a reminder to me that my ultimate goal in all that I do should be to further God’s kingdom. Much as the churches today need to ask themselves if their money will be well spent in fulfilling the purpose of God for the church, so to must we ask whether our money is spent in the fulfillment of God’s desires for our life. It is time to not just point to the church as reckless spenders but to acknowledge ourselves as major consumers and realize that the church may only be following the lead of the individuals of which it is composed.
-Jeremiah
I know exactly what you mean! I’ve had many similar feelings, especially lately. I think it would be a good exercise to question what we do with our money (and even our TIME). Is “such-and-such” purchase or pursuit just for me or is it in some way bettering someone else or building relationships? What else can I be doing with this money that might make a difference? It’s hard to think that way, but I think if each of us did, we would have such great power to change things. Thanks, Jeremiah!