about giving.
Today I would like to zoom in on "Keeping up with the Joneses." Whether
you know it or not we are all subjected to peer pressure. It's an
external force, compelling us to buy better and more stuff than our
neighbours. Living in constant fear of being left behind.
You don't need to drive a BMW, if you can only afford to drive a Toyota.
Neither do you need to buy a $10 000 home theatre system if you cannot
afford to. We feel bad when we can no longer compete with others. This
drives us into debt, which eventually chokes us.
Proverbs 12:9 "Better to be ordinary and work for a living than act
important and starve in the process." MSG
The thought of not being able to wear designer clothing might might make
you want to faint, but this is only a luxury. Remember that we said on
day 1 that life is more than money?
Proverbs 13:7 "One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another
pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth." ESV
Materialism, living for stuff - can not make you happy. It can keep you
in a circle of always needing to buy more stuff, and it keeps a lot of
companies in business; but it cannot heal a broken heart or bring you
lasting joy.
There's a song that goes, "Oh Lord won't You buy me a Mercedes Benz. My
friends all drive Porches, I must make amends, I've lived all my life no
help from my friends. Oh Lord won't You buy me a Mercedes Benz." If you
know the name of the song please post it in the comments.
I would like to end off with a quote:
"People get into debt by trying to keep up with those who already are."
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