Christians: How do you know when you're becoming materialistic and how do you handle it?
August 29th, 2010 | 
Author: Okay, here’s my particular situation. My husband and I live in a way that I would consider frugal. We eat out once a week, otherwise I cook all of our meals. We tithe, put a lot (considering what we make — not like, millions) in savings and are almost done with *all* of our debt (student loans, car). This came out of necessity from us being relatively poor (no money in savings then) and has continued.
This Christmas, I’ve gotten a couple of nice gifts. A couple of checks and things. I spent *all* of it already.
This small spending spree has caused me to think about things differently — like, maybe I *can* wear cute clothes all the time, etc. Things I’d kind of given up the dream on.
I guess I’m concerned because I don’t feel like I accurately understand what materialism is. Compared to some in the US, maybe I’m not so materialistic — but I’m worried my view is skewed because we are so rich here!
So – What is materialism and how do you deal with it in your own life?
Posted in How to handle your debts | 
Tags: checks, christmas, cute clothes, dream on, money, nice gifts, spending spree, student loans, what is materialism
17 Responses to “Christians: How do you know when you're becoming materialistic and how do you handle it?”
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rebel it’s called catholic guilt! get over it cause the big old housewives of OC have.
seriously, joel osteen wants you to be filthy rich so you can donate 110% to his TV church.
okay seriously 2nd time around. the most motivated productive people on earth with luck (or god) will usually make it to the top. as long as vanity doesn’t eat you alive & thoughts of lessor souls are always in your mind, it should be okay.
what does it mean to me? I don’t drive luxury brand vehicles & I don’t care much for SUVs that pollute the earth. Leave a small ecological footprint. Life is like religion. recycling is like reincarnation. What was this past christmas, you asked? The evil retailers make us all want to spend beyond our means. Holiday meanings are lost in the translation. rejoice & spend cause you can’t take it with you.
I am maturing and I do not need a lot of "stuff" . The stuff does not make us happy.
Materialism is keeping up with the Jones.
look at your checkbook frequently, this can be a real eye opener, if you see checks made out to stupid things that once looked necessary, then maybe you have a problem. as long as God is your focus in life, and not new clothes, then the checkbook will be realitively clean of petty purchases
I dont if i like it i buy it it’s just a blessing from god that i can afford what i want put it that way i don’t let it get to my head as long your heart is right and know hey the things that matter the most are god family and so on then you will be fine but when those things influence how you feel or act around others thats when you need to stop and get yourself in check and realize without god not of those would be possible ok well ha later
Materialism, as a worldview, means that matter is the only reality. What you really are referring to is consumerism (though the two are not unrelated). Consumerism becomes a problem when it becomes MORE important than things which should be important. What should be important? Treasure in heaven. What exactly is that? Truth, goodness, kindness, justice, peace, friendship, love, charity, beauty, etc. These are things christians need to strive to emulate, these are true spiritual treasures which can neither be bought nor sold.
It is very hard in our society not to feel the pressure of looking a certain way or needing the newest, flashiest thing. Everywhere we go we are inundated with advertisement and the like. Some people get way too caught up in that mode of thought and strive for a false infinity of goods (the need to have more and more) instead of looking to He whom is truly infinite. This is wrong because it places creation above the Creator.
It is not wrong to look nice and put your best foot forward, but it is wrong to have that become more important than what is on the INSIDE. It sounds like you have made quite a few sacrifices and are doing well for yourself, don’t be ashamed to do something nice for yourself every now and then.
Lets also keep things in perspective: be thankful for your blessings and try to bless others with your own fortune and keep in mind that many people in this world don’t even have clean water to drink. Be mindful as well that we are in the world, but not of the world merely. Some christians are called to completely abandon all worldly goods to serve the poor and to serve God, like Mother Theresa, but that is not a path for everyone. Pray and may God guide you with His peace.
^.^
Great question. My wife and I talk about this same topic all the time. We started our married life on the frugal side 17 years ago, and are still frugal.
The driver for me, on the frugal thing, was living in a single parent home with no expendable income – we lived through a couple of periods with no power, telephone, etc. – although short periods. This has had a life long impact on me.
From a spiritual perspective I know the Lord wants me to be a provider for my family. He also wants me to hold material things at a very low value level. There is a balance that I am working on – provision and minimized value on material things.
I think materialism is spiritually relative – your heart is being measured by the Lord, not by man. I’d suggest praying about it and I’d suggest submitting that area of your life to Him.
I’ve noticed that the more we give as a family, the more we’re blessed. The driver for our giving isn’t to be blessed, but it definitely seems to go hand in hand. He will bless His people, both spiritually and financially, in my humble opinion.
We are trying to get to a point where we tithe and give. I’ve heard some say that giving is in addition to tithing – 10% +. I want to get to a total of 20% gross income, and over time in excess of this. I know some folks who give much more than we do, but we are not they, and they are not we. ; )
spending money is not necessarily being materialistic. God is not concerned with your every little action – He looks at your heart about it.
materialism is when you cannot let go of what you have, when you start believing you are "entitled" to have them and are no longer grateful for what God has provided.
think of the stories in the bible like the rich young ruler who thought himself to be so wonderful by following this rule or doing that good deed. Jesus thought the ruler was a great guy and asked him to put his stuff down and come follow Him. the young ruler couldn’t do it…even when at his Lord’s request. this is materialism.
i deal with materialism by understanding that everything i own belongs to God and is meant to be used glorify Him. i am grateful daily for everything that He has provided me with, job, cars, houses. and when i am given an opportunity to be sacrificial for His sake, i stop clinging to the object and give it away. God has returned my sacrifice to me ten times what i gave away.
Having what you need to live such as clothes, shelter, food are basic necessities. It’s when you get attached to materialism that it becomes worldly. Ask yourself, if you lost that 32" LCD TV, would you become angry at God? How attached are you to it? Material objects should things take a back seat when it comes to matters of the spirit. It ok to own things, just don’t let the things own you.
Mark 10
17And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
I knew when we moved into a home that we were planning on buying……….A very large home, too big for us, in fact, we never used half of the house.
A house that was in a very upscale neighborhood.
A house that was causing problems in our life because it was causing so much stress on us.
A house that would have drained us financially if we did not give it up.
That was being materialistic.
When we realized this, we moved! It was not worth it and we now see it was nothing but the devil.
We did not Really let the Lord lead us on this house.
I do though, think the Lord wants us to have the desires of our heart ( if its in His will ).
I think to have nice clothes and nice things in life is okay, if we are not going overboard.
I think we need to ask the Lord what He thinks about everything in our Lives, even the littlest thing, Like, is it okay to buy that new pair of shoes.
God bless ;0)
I realized that I was getting materialistic when I started feeling dissatisfied with our home, which is everything I’ve dreamed of-modest dreams, mind you! I called a real estate agent who started telling me all the major changes I’d have to make to sell this home to move elsewhere and I realized I was chasing after a dream that I’d already made come true!
We have a lovely home, our kids are happy here and my husband and I love each other.
We’re blessed. So, speaking as someone who has also followed a frugal lifestyle and who is also a Christian-I make a point of thanking God for what I have, and when I do, He shows me clearly the gifts that I have received, the blessings He’s sent my way.
Ask yourself-are you really dreaming of having more material things? Do you need these things, are you doing without something you’d really like to have? If you find that there is something you really do want and can afford,
it sounds like you should treat yourself. But if this is an aimless kind of thing, just wanting more, I would pray about it.
First if you are giving your first fruits to God
the rest as He said is Yours
No i dont think He meant to use it unwisely
BUT none the less it is yours to do with .
He gives us a sound mind
Figure it this way
If you dont need it
why buy it ??
Why buy a car , if you cant drive ?
Why by a set of clothing you cant wear ?
Its that princiaple that sets the standard to commen sense spending……….
why buy a dozen banana’s if all they do is set and rot before they can be eaten ?
Nothing wrong with having things , and enjoying things…Just dont allow THOSE THINGS to become More important then doing Gods Will…..and dont allow yourself to spend foolishly just cause you have it to spend !!
WE must Tarry till He comes…….but we also must remember there are those ALL around us….who have so far less then we do………..and WE are Blessed for the very reason to be able to Bless Others who are Not as blessed…that they TO can be Blessed……….That itself is the WHOLE Thing
and according to Gods Word
His Will for us ALL , No matter where we live or country we are in……there is Always someone , who needs blessed , and WE have that very power in our hands to do it………
You will find , you can never out give God………..
Bless Others…..and be a good stewrd of what God has given you…..and if wise enough to handle a little , He will see that your wiser to handle alot !!!!!!
And am already on the road , i can tell by the question you asked !!!
You ever get those emails, questions or whatever, saying if you were to get a check for $10,000 today, would you spend it or save it? My answer is never save it. And my answer isn’t always, pay or my debt first. I’d be very inclined to just buy household things we want like carpet, furniture, appliances, or building on. Would we build on before paying off my debt? That’s a good question. Would we buy a toddler carseat for my son that we’ll need in 3 months out of the money we got for Christmas or will we go and buy Christmas presents that we wanted but didn’t get?
I guess its a little of both. I still want that one gift that I didn’t get for Christmas or my birthday. And with the extra money we got before Christmas we first made sure that our own kids got gifts, then ourselves, then we spend the rest on dollar and $5 gifts for nieces, nephews and our inlaws. Was that spend wisely? Probably not. Was it spent frivously? maybe a little. But did we tithe out of it? First and foremost. We’d also been given gifts for our kids this year because it was presumed that we were financially strapped. But when the extra money came in, we gave those gifts to our relatives that literally had nothing under the tree. We prayed….if only God would provide money for this Christmas, then we could take care of this or that….and God did provide, and we did spend it on what we told God we would. But we also splurged for ourselves a little.
I think selflessness is what materialism ISNT. Being a little selfish is still being materialistic in my eyes, however only a little. I think that it’s truely hard, and difficult to not spend a little on ourselves.
I think as long as you’re tithing, and good job saving, and taking care of the important things, you’re doing ok. You’re giving God your first fruits. If you feel conviction about your other spending, pray about it. If others tell you your behavior isn’t materialistic, but God’s telling you it is, listen to God first. I’ll pray God works in this matter in all of us a little.
In Christ
I am in the same boat you are in money-wise — and I expect a hefty tax refund this year. You’re right, it is difficult.
This is one idea I keep in mind, and it’s NOT from a traditional "mega-church" pastor, it’s from Chuck Swindoll: If it’s not a sin, and doesn’t come between you and God, AND you can afford it, go for it. Just watch your focus. God does not want us all to be dirt-poor and have nothing, he just wants us to be accountable with what we have and use it wisely. Good stewardship is important, but it sounds like you have a handle on that.
I had a bad week last week — I wanted a leather jacket for Christmas (REAL) and didn’t get it. I then saw one in a department store (Kohl’s) for 77% off and almost bought it — I just know that I would have felt guilty b/c I don’t NEED it. Is the problem with me? I don’t know, but most likely (lol).
i think materialism comes in when those things start becoming neccesary or overly important i also think that having a lot of nice things is not a sin if you as a person are able to keep balance.
Materialism is when you start to look at "things" as being just as important as people and relationships. It is OK to splurge a little once in a while on ones self. But try to keep your focus on what really matters in life. It is not the amount of shoes or cute outfits one has that will matter at the end of your life. It is how you used what the Lord has given you to benefit others. The Lord blesses us so we can be a blessing to others. What we have is not ours anyway…it is just on loan to us to use to help others. You seem to have a healthy view of money. You tithe, you save some. This is a good balance and you should not worry about an occasional splurge. After all, God wants you to enjoy your life also. Oh, there is nothing wrong with wearing cute clothes, I look for bargains like mark downs and end of season clearance sales. You might want to allot so much from your budget for this. There are several creative ways you can do this without putting a strain.Go to the clothing resale shops. In my area there are several that give you high end clothing at a fraction of the price. They are slightly used.Most of them look new. My mom says NEVER pay retail prices! What can I say? Mom is ALWAYS right!
Anyway, being frugal is a wonderful thing. You sound like a good steward of all the Lord has given you. Just stay balanced and remember what is MOST important in life!
May the Lord bless you!
When you spend more time thinking about what you want to buy and what you have and what you just can’t seem to live without, then you are becoming materialistic. Having a spending spree when you finally get something cute to wear, isn’t materialistic. If you can’t pay cash for it, don’t get it…that’s how I handle those little materialistic moments when they pop up.
I know exactly what you are going through! I received a couple of gift cards for Christmas and had so much fun spending them. Now I feel a little depressed because I want more!!! I was just telling Jesus I want all the other things in life that people seem to have. But, when it comes down to it, it is my flesh acting up. Deep down I don’t want alot of material things, I am very content with what I own now. I know that the more we have the more we want and the more we spend. Our flesh is never satisfied. I would rather have enough to get by and then be able to help those that need it more. I am thankful for my job and a place to live and food. That is plenty for me. I know that this year God is going to really bless me to help others, but I am not wanting it for myself. I receive so much more joy when I am able to give. We also need to remember that American is going to go into a deep recession or even a depression. To keep going through his we are going to have to depend on God to see us through and when we give to others in the good times, He will be sure to take care of us in the bad. Just depend on Jesus to supply your needs and He will make sure that you get those "cute clothes" along the way. I feel I am blessed to have to depend on Him for everything. My relationship with Him is very close and loving and I know that yours is also because of having to struggle. I really appreciate this question, you have brought me back to where my thinking needs to be, thinking about Him only and what He wants me to do with what He has given to me. Thank you.