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Here To Eternity
According to an article on American savings rates, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis [2014 data] found the personal saving rate in the United States was 5.7%. [Courtesy of The Motley Fool, "Here's the Average American's Savings Rate," www.fool.com] According to that same article, "Most experts recommend saving at least 10% to 15% of your income" for emergencies and preparation for retirement. Newer statistics [2017] indicate that rate has dropped to 2.4%. According to these statistics, we are falling behind on saving money, but it is actually better than past years, where the percentage hit an all-time low of 1.9%.
In a related story, The Motley Fool reported in a USA Today article, "The average American household carries $137,063 in debt, according to the Federal Reserve." ["A Foolish Take: Here's how much debt the average U.S. household owes," USA Today, Nov. 18, 2017.] Interesting, since the same source said the average annual income was $59,039 for the same calendar year. The article concluded, "…many Americans are living beyond their means." If we put the information from these articles together, that would certainly seem to be a reasonable conclusion. We are spending more than we earn!
A casual glance at our society would show that the focus is on material goods and possessions, and very little on spiritual matters. Advertising appeals to individuals' desires to keep up with their neighbor or desire to outdo their neighbor, but not much about demonstrating love for one's neighbor; much is directed at helping one to appear outwardly attractive, but I don't recall much advertising aimed at helping us have better hearts and more compassion.
Past slogans and mottoes of businesses or individuals demonstrate a desire for the here and now, with little or no thought for the future, much less eternity. Go for the gusto! Just Do It. Anything that appeals to getting more, doing more, having more, and being more or better than anyone else will be used, appealing to the desires of society. Someone figured out that if they appeal to selfish desires directly, they will be a lot more effective than appeals to quality. One writer noted, "Economists have found that the desire for conspicuous consumption [buying things to be seen—SH] is actually stronger in poorer neighborhoods than in more affluent suburban areas. The people in poorer neighborhoods spend more on visible goods than necessities." (Rudolph Hall, Narcissistic Behavior in the Postmodern Era, p. 203.)
We who are God's people today have to do better than this! We, of all people, must know that this life and this world is not what life is all about. Despite the religious leaders and TV preachers who tell you about how you can have "your best life now" and be just as materialistic as the rest of the world, God desires that we desire something far greater than this world can offer.
Jesus, in fact, told us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:19, 20). He would later ask, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). Clearly, this world and its material possessions are not to be our primary focus.
To this end, Paul admonished the early disciples, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1, 2). If we are truly followers of Jesus, then our minds/hearts should be set on where He is [in heaven] and our desire for the heavenly, not earthly, things.
The problem is, we are still fleshly beings who have fleshly needs and desires. We still have to eat; we still get hot or cold; we still have to physically travel to get from one place to another; we still have to live somewhere; we still must have clothing to demonstrate decency and modesty; we still have a desire for affection. The inner desire for all of these things may be fulfilled in a way that is acceptable to God, but it is when we go too far in those desires, or have too strong a desire for those things that we err and, yes, sin. Our adversary also knows “each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin” (Jas. 1:14, 15), and he will appeal to those desires any way he can to try to lead us into sin. He will be satisfied to just get us to focus our attention on material things, too, for he knows that when that is our focus, we won't be thinking about the invisible and eternal things. He knows we won't be thinking about our souls.
So, in spite of the fact we are physical beings, we must ever strive to be spiritually-minded. This goes back to what Jesus said about laying up treasures in heaven, for He would go on to say, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21); in other words, what is most valuable to us is what we will be thinking about, and where we will direct our focus. If eternal life and salvation are most important, we will be thinking about those things and the material things will be mere conveniences and expedients to accomplish what we must do in this physical world.
The habit of many to focus on instant gratification or whatever makes them happy for the moment is an indictment of the spiritual destitution of society and our adversary's success in distracting mankind from the most important matters like sin, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. He would rather us all think about the here and now and not any of the aforementioned subjects; he will get us to ridicule the idea of sin, scoff at the hereafter, and deny the very existence of the one who will judge us in the last day. And he has done quite well towards those ends!
The focus on the temporary things is why couples divorce, why sexual sins are so prevalent, and why crimes like theft, assault, rape, and murder take place daily. It is when we focus on the invisible and eternal things, and start living and acting like we will have to give an account for what we do and say that we restrain ourselves, exercise self-control, and strive to be a better person. It is the spiritually-minded individual who will “esteem others better than himself” and look out “for the interests of others” and be less concerned about how we can satisfy or please self whenever we desire it. To be spiritually-minded means we must think, “whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matt. 7:12). We will consider how we treat others as an important example we must show to the world that tells them we are followers of Christ (cf. John 13:34, 35), and act accordingly.
While the world is asking, "Don't you think God wants me to be happy?" we should be thinking how we might achieve eternal “joy inexpressible” (1 Pet. 1:8) in spite of trials and hardships and a life full of difficulties. We will also be thinking about how we can bring that “joy inexpressible” to others!
If this world has been your focus, change it from here to eternity — to that which will never fade away. —— Steven Harper
