There is no doubt that scripture indicates that is a viable option for some people. That was Jesus’ instructions to the rich young ruler in Luke 18 because he was owned by his wealth and Christ longed to see him set free. However, I don’t believe that is the prescription for most American believers. Rather, I believe the answer for most of us is found in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15:
13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15 as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."
There is no doubt that here in America most of us have more than we need, even if the typical person does not think so. Credit spending and the drive more more stuff has brought many families to the brink of financial collapse, but it is usually not because they did not have enough. Instead, most of these desperate situations were created out of the desire for more and better possessions. In other words, if the typical family could learn to live modestly off their income they would have more than enough. And much of that excess could be used to provide for others in need.
How do we do this? By asking a couple of basic questions:
- Do I really NEED that? – As our family has been preparing for our move to Guatemala we have sold a large amount of our possessions which we are now living without. And we realize that, at some point in the past, we really felt that we needed those things. We now realize that we did not. Even now as we wait for our house to sell we find ourselves confronted even more directly by the question of needs verses wants because we realize that most of what we buy now we will be unable to take to Guatemala with us. As a result, we are now working hard to purchase only consumables such as food and personal care products. This question has actually been a source of liberation for us, forcing our family to focus on what is really important.
- Do I really need THAT? – This sounds like the same question, but the focus is not on what we need but instead on what we choose to purchase once we determine it is a need. In other words, we may determine that we need to purchase new jeans due to the deteriorated state of our old jeans. (This is an example for our older folks as the deteriorated status of jeans would raise their value for teens.) But when choosing what jeans to purchase do we really need the $50 - $120 name brand pair, or will the $20 off brand meet our need. (Or better yet, can we find a pair at Goodwill for $3.79?) Do we really need to use our limited resources for that little cloth label or stitching on the pocket? Often just by being smarter consumers we can save large amounts of money which could be used to make an eternal difference.
In the spirit of these two questions, I would like to present you with a dare to a type of spiritual fasting. I dare you to ask and live by these questions for the next month with the following commitments:
- If you are planning to purchase something, first stop and ask yourself if your really NEED it. If the answer to that questions ends up being “No” then take half the amount you would have spent on it and give it to a ministry that will use it to make an eternal difference.
- If you determine that you really do need it, before your purchase stop and ask if you really need THAT. Do your really need the name brand? Do you really need that large of a TV? Do you really need the pre-packaged meals? And if the answer is no, set aside half the savings to give to a ministry.
I dare you to try it for just one month. It might be a life-changing experiment for you and a life-saving experiment for someone else.
