Consumer Nation

We now live in a nation where police must escort buyers of PS3 game systems from the front door of their local retail store to their vehicles in order to keep someone from robbing them!

We now live in a nation where police and ambulances must be dispatched to various retail stores around the nation because people are literally trampling each other to get the best deals on “Black Friday” (the Friday after Thanksgiving when retailers get out of the red and into the ‘black’ in revenue).

We now live in a world where people wait in line for hours for their favorite store to open at 3AM in order to get first dibs on cashmere sweaters that are normally $49.00 but are on sale for $29.99 until noon.

What in the world is happening to us?

Oh, I almost forgot…we live in a fallen world. But, the extent to which we will succumb to the draw of possessions is truly staggering. We are a nation blinded by greed and it manifests itself in more surprising and disturbing ways each holiday season. As Christians, we are given so many opportunities to shine brightly in a dark and sinful world. But, it seems as though we often miss the most opportune moments to shine and instead we choose these moments to hide our light of hope and selflessness. Not only do we hide, but many times we hide by taking on the form of darkness. In these moments we not only keep others from experiencing the light of Christ but we also give tacit approval of the world’s ways by we ourselves becoming “of the world.”

Christmas is one of those God-given times of the year when we as believers can truly stand out as givers among a people of takers. But, is this what we do? Do we give? “Yeah, Todd…” you might be thinking, “I give many gifts to friends and family during Christmas and I have a credit card bill to prove it.” I don’t have time to delve into all the problems with that one statement but let me suggest that it is the kind of giving that sets us apart from the world. After all, the way of the world is to give and receive gifts in exchanges with friends and family. This is a wonderful tradition but it is not unique to Christian culture in any way. In our time, I’m arguing that the only way to set ourselves apart form the world is to give to those who can return nothing to us; to be aggressively selfless at a time when the rest of the world is acting selfish.

I am fully aware that giving to churches and non-profit organizations increases substantially at the end of each year and many people look for opportunities to give out of their abundance. But, what about the act of giving sacrificially? What about giving out of our limited store of reserves? What about giving without any concern for the tax deduction we will receive? Again, nothing is wrong with giving out of abundance and/or giving with a strategic tax benefit in mind, but I would challenge us all to look for an opportunity this Christmas season to give in the following way:

1. Give to someone who cannot give back.
2. Give anonymously – tell no one but God.
3. Give sacrificially. Give out of the scarcity of your possessions rather than the abundance of your worth. (This is different for everyone, but I promise that you will know when you have given in a truly sacrificial way.)
4. Give purely. Give in a way that you cannot receive a tax benefit from your act of kindness.

Give in all the ways you planned on giving this year but also give in a way that honors the four caveats above. God will get the glory. You will mature in your faith. Others will be blessed by Christ’s love. Give…

Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net