June 19, 2009
-
Luxury
What is the place of luxury in the life of a single disciple of Jesus Christ, in today's world? (Or, for that matter, a married disciple with a family?)
How does one 'draw the line', in deciding whether one should buy chocolate and flowers and fruit juice and other nonessential things for oneself, or instead forgo all luxury items and instead give the money to other Christians who are in desperate need? (or, to help send the good news about Jesus Christ to people who have never heard)
Is beauty (in food, home decorations, church decorations, car, clothing, etc) an end in and of itself, as Andy Crouch suggests that knowledge is, to glorify God, or are beauty and knowledge only tools by which the kingdom of God is to be advanced? For example: if it was the former, one could spend money on luxury items for oneself and say that one was seeking to beautify one's life and "enjoy the good things in life that God created", with gratitude and praise to God, following 1 Timothy 4:1-5 --
1But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
2by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
3men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
5for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.One could also claim to be imitating Paul in Philippians 4 --
12I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Yet we know from 1 John 3 that:
17But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
So if luxury items are "only a tool", then one should only buy them when their use is essential to advancing the gospel. For example, if I need luxury foods or furnishings for a hospitality ministry, inviting people over to my home for dinner, then I would spend the money. But I would avoid eating those purchased foods when by myself, upon that model. If I need a suit jacket or nice car or fashionable furniture for ministry purposes, then I would purchase it. But if this "only a tool" model is correct, whenever I myself am the only beneficiary, I would reduce the luxury down to the lowest possible (monastic!) level, not for ascetic/monastic reasons but for the purpose of love (1 John 3). And would not this principle then apply also to a family? To a church? To a society?
(For example: family: when deciding whether to buy a new car, a bigger house, a new swimming pool, exotic food, etc -- Upon Model 1 (luxury is fine, as long as it prompts gratitude and praise to God), those things would be fine. Upon Model 2, those things would only be acceptible if they are essential for ministry.
Church: when deciding whether to pack into a smaller building (or house) or whether to invest in a larger building, when deciding whether or not (and/or to what extent) to decorate a church building, etc... Some people say "Christians should be the best in whatever area God calls them, because they represent God in this world... so their church buildings should be very beautiful and high-quality to reflect God's glory (cathedrals, etc). That'd be Luxury Model 1. Others take Model 2 - let's make our church building the cheapest, most utilitarian warehouse-type building we possibly can, and use the saved money to spread the gospel in our city and our world.
Society... whether or not to invest in new infrastructure (or whether one's town could make do with the old infrastructure and instead use the money for charitable development of poorer neighbors or an overseas sister town)In search of a unifying/guiding principle........ (because it doesn't seem reasonable anymore to say "Well, I'm frugal most of the time, I can splurge today" or "I am frugal in most areas of life, I can splurge in this area").
More from God's Word --
Luke 21
1And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.
2And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins.
3And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them;
4for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on."Mark 14
3While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.
4But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted?
5"For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they were scolding her.
6But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.
7"For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me.Proverbs 21:20
There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man swallows it up.Luke 12
33"Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.
34"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Comments (6)
Tim, it is great to see you writing again! Your posts are always very thoughtful and give me something to dwell on. In regard to this post, please consider that in an ideal world, everyone would have a means to provide for themselves and their family (I Timothy 5:8). The majority of luxury items and services are produced by both blue collar and unskilled workers, who, for the lack of demand, would otherwise not have a means for this provision. While it is definitely correct to live only within your means, one should not feel guilt for purchase of decorations or a meal out, as it is an opportunity to provide honest pay for honest work. I really struggle with what is considered the "poor" in America today, as this, this, this, and this seem to be the norm rather than the exception. I am not denying that there are those who are genuinely suffering, but it has become very difficult to distinguish between the lazy and the lacking. I would much rather give money to someone truly seeking to earn it, then to someone who may be a scam. It may be a better strategy to put yourself in a position to help those you know personally, family and friends, when the needs arise. The early church gave to the needy, but kept it within their congregation (Acts 4:23ff).
Thanks for those thoughts, ISM! I will ponder...
@tim223 -
Thanks for putting up with my long comment and following my links. I will be interested to hear what you conclude.
I've been thinking about this lately as well. For me, I think that I do allow myself to have "luxuries" and other things like that as a means of enjoying what God has put here for our enjoyment. But, I generally try to have a purpose for it, instead of just indulging myself. For instance, I try not to eat out unless I'm going out with friends, so there's more purpose in it than just the fact that I was lazy that day.
Another thing I've noticed recently that helps with this is fasting. I struggled with it for a while, but I've recognized that it is a great tool for helping to realign my "wants" and my needs. When I fast, it makes me realize just how much I do have, and the fact that I "over-satisfy" myself more often than not. Helps me to realize that when I say "I NEED" this caffeine to get through the day (involving purchase of a coffee beverage at Starbucks), that I don't really need it, and I could better use my money somewhere else that day, or just make a cup of tea in my office instead.
Kelly
Good thoughts y'all... I find that one way I can feel more comfortable about how I spend my money is a categorized budget. I can see each month how much I spend, and if I met my targets in each category for the month. In doing this, I can be sure that my specifically ministry expenditures are a certain level of my income, and that things like toys or eating out don't take up too much.
I think I generally follow the it must have ministry function rule, but that isn't always my first thought. For instance, I might think "I'd really like some Chinese food tonight; what friends can I invite out for good interaction and food?" I generally won't eat out by myself, as Kelly suggested.
I will spend a little more than the bare minimum on groceries, mainly because I think it's worthwhile to eat healthily. And, if I buy foods that I enjoy and can make quickly, I'll be much less likely to feel the need to eat out, which would cost even more money! And of course, there's the hospitality aspect, which I do enjoy/partake in as well.
Not everything I spend time or money on, however, do I have a strict/direct ministry application. For instance, buying a good book now and then -- it would be a strain to make a direct ministry application. But I think that even though sometimes a direct connection is difficult, we shouldn't neglect the unseen side effects of living well, and pursuing ones healthy interests. For one, it gives me something to talk about with other people, but again, not the primary reason I buy a book. Of course, I'm not going to spend half my income on something I enjoy "so I'll have something to talk about with unbelievers"... but a percent or two seems to me to be warranted. That's where the budget seems so useful to me!
I think that the models you cited, Tim, are both valid... Scripture seems very clear that enjoying one's work and possessions is a gift from God. But it's generally pretty easy for us humans to enjoy what we have. I doubt we need much prompting on that front! The more difficult perspective for most, and the one needing much more explicit encouragement, is the soldier/athlete/monastic perspective. That is, that we need to be willing to sacrifice all for Christ and the Gospel.
It's just good to keep in mind that, ultimately, God does want each of us to enjoy the good things he has created... and one day we will! Completely, and with no reservations. Even so, come Lord Jesus!
in regard to church spending and luxury, especially about building and making beautiful things to honor God or worshiping in a barely furnished warehouse: My pastor likes to say that the purpose of church is not to build monuments to God but to bring unreached people to him. If having a more beautiful building was what the leadership of our church thought would help bring more people to Christ than we would do that. Since we don't think this is an important factor to reaching people at this time, we spend our money on other things.
Comments are closed.