The Cost

Possessions (Yaaay!!)

Real quick, let me ask you a question: how much do you value your house? How much do you value your clothes, or your instrument(s), or your electronics, or your books? Take the most valuable items to you, or simple things you really couldn't live without, and think about them. 

Now try to imagine living without them. Any of them. Imagine living with just the clothes on your back, and the fellows to your left and right. All of you, leaving your lives behind, to follow this man around the Middle East. 

Personally, I am a very sentimental person. There are many trinkets and small things I keep around that have some important significance to me. One of my very dear friends has a small chest of things she always says she would take first if she had to leave. I would probably not be able to do that, cuz I've accumulated so many sentimental pieces over the years, and wouldn't want to leave any of them behind. It would be very, very hard for me to leave it all behind. 

But that's what the Apostles did. They followed Jesus wherever he went. Lots of people assume Jesus had it easier than he did. In reality, he was basically a homeless man wandering from city to city, with the most impactful and revolutionary message in history in his possession. But Jesus had no belongings. He had no home. All he had was the twelve Apostles to accompany him on earth. Though they did make some small amount of money, as Judas was the treasurer of the Apostles (which kind of necessitates the having of moola in the first place), they never had enough to settle down. Always just enough to get them by. 

There was, and still probably is to this day, some concern over the matter of what is known as intentional poverty. That is the purposeful selling or giving away of all of one's possessions to indicate a willingness to trust in God completely. It can either be viewed as the most courageous thing one can do for their beliefs, or perhaps the most completely idiotic thing that could be done. Regardless of which one you believe, the fact remains that many people in history have condemned themselves to intentional poverty, but have done so for the wrong reasons. While I am not saying that tithing at church or giving of your earthly goods to help other causes for Christ is wrong, I'm also not saying that you should go to extremes to prove your faith. That can be a very dangerous thing. 

Bonhoeffer calls this "single-minded obedience." It is the act of having your mind and spirit focused chiefly and only on doing God's will. That, however, is an extremely easy thing to say. Acting it out is another matter entirely. There will always be temptations and obstacles in faith as long as we live on this earth. If we aren't careful, even blessings we receive can become snares to our spiritual growth and faith. 

Now, let me say right off the bat, that everyone on earth is very attached to at least one possession they own. There is a sense of pride and personal pleasure in owning things. Being able to say "That's mine," brings a sense of ownership, as well as pride. After all, you own it. No one else can take it from you unless you say so. Humans aren't perfect. We find fulfillment in simple things all the time. For me, that comes in the form of video games, martial arts, and music. I love those all. I'm not sure I'd be able to function the same way I do today without at least one of those in my life. So being completely detached from every single thing you own is pretty much impossible. God has made us stewards here on earth, and you can't manage resources well without caring about them. Trust me, I've tried. 

But there is a difference between caring about something, and idolizing it. Now, when I say that, a lot of you probably think of some tiki statue, or a lucky buddha or something. Maybe you think of shrines that some families dedicate to deceased relatives or ancestors. Let me put it plainly: an idol does not have to be made of wood, gold, or what have you. Idols are anything in your life that you value above God. Idols can be literally anything--your Xbox, your money, your boyfriend/girlfriend, your spouse, your family, your reputation, your social life and interactions, etc. The possibilities are endless. Once these things begin consuming all your time, energy, attention, and capacity, it's quite clear what it has become in your life. Bear in mind though, that simply liking something or loving something does not make it an idol. Obsessive attention to the object or person that becomes the focus of your life, however, means it's time to do some work. 

Bonhoeffer says this on page 79: "But my faith is not necessarily tied up with riches or poverty or anything of the kind. We may be both poor and rich in the spirit." 

Faith is not dependent on material of any kind, because God is not a material God. If our faith fluctuates and wavers depending on our material state, then we have no real faith. And yet, we see several times in the Bible where Jesus commends selling all you have (Matt. 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:33). What's up with that?

Well, if you look at the context of the first two verses, you will discover that Jesus is testing the willingness of a young rich man to follow him. He tells the man that all he must do is to sell all of his possessions and follow Jesus. In doing so, he forces the ultimate clash of desires inside the man--his love of money and material comforts versus a lack of possessions and a hard life, but ultimate treasure in heaven. But the man can't make himself give up his riches, and so turns away. In this case, Jesus asks the man to do the impossible for him, and show complete abandonment for Christ's sake. 
The final verse is a differently-written version of a rather popular verse, Matthew 6:19-21. It reads: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." 
Note that real quick: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. See, God knows that we cling to material things. In these verses, it's basically a slap in the face to people who find fulfillment in temporary things, because they are temporary. They will fade one way or another. Don't give yourself over to things that won't last! 
Also note that none of these verses talk about general intentional poverty. They simply encourage us to not find meaning in our possessions. If we do have possessions, we should keep them as if we didn't have them, because who knows how long they will last? 
But for those have given all they possess for Jesus, there is an even deadlier trap. See, not all people who do this do it for Jesus. If we give away all of our possessions, that act in and of itself is not the obedience Jesus demands. Bonhoeffer says that in the very act of giving away what we have, we can give allegiance to ourselves and to an ideal that is not Jesus. These actions must always be considered very carefully, so that the one who does them takes care not to be doing it for himself/herself. 

I encourage you to think about some of the things you've grown extremely attached to over the years, or even recently. It can be anything at all. Now ask yourself: if that thing gets in the way of your relationship with God, would you be able to give it up? This seems like a very simple question, but really consider it. Are there any hidden idols that have dethroned God in your life? Better question: was God ever on the throne of your life to begin with, or is he the one who has to do the dethroning? Or does he even try anymore? The scariest thing God can ever do, is to basically say "okay. You want this? Go get it. Have fun." He stops tugging on your heart and trying to turn you away from the thing you're pursuing, and just lets you go on your way. God is a loving God, and he will not keep trying to turn you to something you resist with all your might. But he will always receive you again, if you only come back to him. 

Obviously, this is a hard topic to talk about. No one is immune to the love of material or temporary things. It's simply where you prioritize those in your life that makes all the difference. Obviously, I'm not trying to take this from the position of a teacher lecturing a student. I'm down here with you, struggling with the same urges every single day. It's tough. But how much more worth it will it be to store our true treasure--spiritual treasure--and invest our true time and effort, in procuring treasures in a place that will last forever? Nothing worth doing is ever easy. If you find it hard to prioritize God over the things and stuff in your life, that means you're doing something right. 

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Mark 8:36

Alright, that's the new one for this week. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions, please feel free to message me or leave a comment. I was a bit more vague or brief in some areas than I wanted to be, because I didn't want this to be a 2-hour long chapter. Stay tuned for next week, when we delve into the subject of trials and suffering for the Lord. Have an awesome week, and God bless!! :)