“We spend most of our time & money for things that will end up in the city dump...
Do we understand that material possessions are not necessarily good in themselves even in this life? Let me give two illustrations from our early days in Switzerland...
When I first came to Europe many women worked in the field because farm machinery was scarce. Even on the larger farms, most jobs had to be done by hand…In those days, the work was hard…And I saw women out laboring with their husbands, sometimes doing the hard work of pitching the hay. I though of all the American women who did not have to do this: “My, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Swill women could be saved from this hard physical work?” But I have changed my mind. The women who worked with their husbands shoulder to shoulder during the day & then slept with them at night had one of the greatest riches in the world. Is anything worse than our modern affluent situation where the wife has no share in the real life of her husband?
Is it really true, then, that having increased material possessions is automatically good, even in this life? No. Off all people, Christians should know this because God’s Word teaches it. We must not get caught up in practical materialism…
The perspective of our lives should be that we can lay up treasure in one of two places – earth or Heaven…
Death will strip us of all material possessions we leave upon this earth. Death is a thief. Five minutes after we die, our most treasured possessions which are invested in this life are absolutely robbed from us…
We must use money with a view to what counts in eternity…Let me say with tears that as far as material possessions, time, energy & talents are concerned, all too many Bible-believing Christians live as though their entire existence is limited to this side of the grave. We cannot ignore Jesus’ statement about these two irreconcilable reference points: “You cannot serve God & money” (Matt. 6:24). Either riches in this life, or the reality of God & the future – one of them must give the overshadowing cast to our lives…”
- Francis A. Schaeffer, No Little People, sermon “Ash Heap Lives”
http://books.google.com/books?id=f-uy7hbFCh8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=No+Little+People&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
http://www.wtsbooks.com/product-exec/product_id/2860/nm/No+Little+People
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