“It’s selfish and stupid to think only of yourself.” (Proverbs 18:1a CEV)
We live in a society where the goal of life is to get more, more, and more.
The Bible has a word for that: stupid. Proverbs 18:1 says, “It’s selfish and stupid to think only of yourself” (CEV).
God tells us that selfishness causes all kinds of problems. For example, the Bible says that the greedy “set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life” (Proverbs 1:18-19 NLT, second edition).
You can be so busy making a living — trying to get more — that you forget to make a life.
There’s only one antidote to materialism: generosity.
Every time you give, you break the grip of materialism in your life, because giving is the opposite of materialism. Materialism is all about what you get. To break its grip on us, we need to do the exact opposite: give, give, give.
When you do, your heart grows bigger and you grow spiritually.
Talk It Over
How have you battled materialism in your life? Are there certain triggers — people or situations — that tend to push you toward becoming more materialistic?
What kinds of problems has selfishness caused in your life?
What’s one giving goal you can set as you seek to break the grip of materialism in your life?
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This devotional © 2016 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
