| My last teaching about greed not being just an | | | | I began to wrestle with that commandment, we |
| attitude provoked several readers to request | | | | ultimately arrived at the conclusion that we needed |
| practical help on making material adjustments in their | | | | to sell our home and scale down, which we did. It |
| lives--for which I thank God. It isn't always easy to | | | | provided us the opportunity to eliminate debt to |
| see the need to make any adjustments when living | | | | have more to give. In loving God and our neighbors |
| in the Western World, where so many are drunk | | | | as ourselves, the goal is to lay up as little as possible |
| with the delusion that, "He who dies with the most | | | | on earth and as much as possible in heaven. Anything |
| toys wins" (a bumper sticker you may have seen). | | | | less is short-sighted, greedy and foolish. But isn't |
| How blessed is that day when you realize you've | | | | tithing all that God expects? As I have pointed out |
| been living on an island of fantasy in an ocean of | | | | previously, one may tithe and still lay up treasures on |
| reality. Compared to the one-half of the world that is | | | | earth if one has an abundance. Remember, the |
| living on less than two dollars a day, we're living in | | | | Pharisees scrupulously tithed and went to hell, lovers |
| Disneyland. (I've added a few photos at the end of | | | | of money (see Matt. 5:20; 23:15, 23, 33; Luke 18:12). |
| this e-teaching to remind us of that.) | | | | But does God expect you to sell your house to buy |
| So what can you do to begin to obey Christ's clear | | | | a smaller one? Perhaps He does, but I don't know. |
| command to lay up treasures not on earth but in | | | | Each one of us must work out our own individual |
| heaven? Jesus told us exactly where to begin: "Sell | | | | salvation with fear and trembling, and I can assure |
| your possessions and give to charity; make | | | | you that I won't be the one sitting on the throne |
| yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing | | | | when you stand at your judgment. So make sure |
| treasure in heaven" (Luke 12:33). Jesus gave this | | | | your stewardship will stand God's scrutiny. I suspect |
| commandment to all of His disciples, not just to one | | | | that there are more ways to deceive ourselves |
| wealthy man, and it could not be more plain. Thus, | | | | regarding this than any other issue of obedience |
| the true disciple of Christ must take inventory of all | | | | before God. |
| he or she possesses and determine what to sell, the | | | | The important thing is to look at our homes, as well |
| proceeds of which can then be laid up in heaven. | | | | as every other material possession, in the light of |
| When you begin seriously to consider what to sell, | | | | God's eternal kingdom and use it accordingly. God |
| you will likely find resistance within you to the whole | | | | may be leading you not to scale down to a smaller |
| idea. That is a depressing yet glorious moment, | | | | house, but to purchase a larger one--if it is for some |
| because you will begin to realize how much all your | | | | kingdom purpose, like adopting orphans from another |
| stuff means to you...and how little Christ means to | | | | country, raising a big tribe of radical disciples, or |
| you. At that moment of self-realization, the war | | | | facilitating church gatherings. One who does that is |
| begins. It is misery at first, but with each step of | | | | just as effectively "giving up his house for Christ" as |
| obedience, joy increases as you prove your love for | | | | the one who sells his large home, buys a smaller one, |
| Jesus. | | | | and gives the remaining equity to the poor. |
| Many, like myself, begin by focusing on selling the | | | | There are many other possible considerations. Most |
| possessions that they never use or enjoy, as they | | | | folks who have owned a home in California for more |
| are the easiest to dispossess. We have a garage sale | | | | than ten years know that if they sell their house and |
| and unload all the junk in our attics and garages, and | | | | purchase a smaller one in California, they will end up |
| then give the money to some worthy cause. That is | | | | paying at least twice the annual taxes they did on |
| good start, but God is thinking bigger. While we are | | | | their larger home (all due to "Proposition 13"), |
| selling a few old clothes to lay up a little bit of | | | | effectively nullifying any overall benefit that might be |
| treasure in heaven, the Holy Spirit helps us see that | | | | accrued to the poor. If you are one of those folks |
| we could sell our house, use the equity to pay cash | | | | who is about to sell your California home, move to |
| for a smaller house, and never have to make another | | | | another state, and retire with your equity, why not |
| mortgage payment, which would enable us to lay up | | | | forsake or delay retirement and lay up that equity in |
| tens of thousands of dollars in heaven in the years | | | | heaven? |
| ahead. Or we realize that we could stop buying a | | | | Some who are currently renting a home might |
| new car every year and buy one every eight | | | | demonstrate better stewardship if they saved |
| years--or never buy another new car, and always | | | | money for a down payment in order to purchase a |
| buy used ones--again enabling us to lay up tens of | | | | home, allowing them to build equity that can |
| thousands of dollars in heaven during the rest of our | | | | eventually be used to bless others. Generally |
| lives. Or we could unload those luxuries that serve no | | | | speaking, rent money is money wasted. |
| other purpose than to impress other people, swell | | | | Sharing your home in some fashion can be a great |
| our egos, or indulge our flesh. Or we can make a | | | | means to lay up more treasure in heaven, either by |
| decision to delay retirement or never retire, thus | | | | freely giving room to a needy person or by renting |
| eliminating the need for laying up so much treasure | | | | part of your home to a not-so-needy person and |
| on earth, and thus enabling the laying up of hundreds | | | | giving away the rental payment to charity. As I write |
| of thousands of dollars in heaven, waiting for our | | | | these words, I'm ministering at a Christian community |
| eternal retirement. | | | | in Tennessee where many families share quite large |
| So my first advice is to consider what you can do to | | | | double-wide mobile homes that they corporately own. |
| cut your expenses as quickly and as drastically as | | | | All of their very adequate homes were pre-owned |
| possible, thus enabling you to lay up as much | | | | and have cost them less than $40,000 each. Their |
| treasure as possible in heaven. Getting out of debt | | | | per-person investment in real estate, including homes |
| would certainly be high up on the list, because any | | | | and one-hundred beautiful acres, is less than $5,000. |
| periodic payment, once eliminated, can then be just | | | | Amazing. |
| as periodically laid up in heaven. If there is one | | | | Once you've taken care of the larger issues of |
| indication of the greed and lack of contentment | | | | stewardship that will make the greatest impact on |
| among us, consumer debt is it. As one person said, | | | | eternity, then you can focus on the smaller issues |
| "We buy things with money we don't have for things | | | | without the hypocrisy of "straining out gnats to |
| we don't need to impress people we don't like." A | | | | swallow camels." Sell off everything you don't need |
| bad combination indeed. Christians are instructed in | | | | that has any worth. EBay is waiting for you. (Not too |
| Scripture to be content with what they have, even if | | | | long ago, some friends sold a pair of old Japanese |
| it is only food and covering (see 1 Tim. 6:8; Heb. 13:5). | | | | binoculars, which they thought was junk, for $600 on |
| Regarding debt, I am of course generally speaking, | | | | eBay. That money went to four missionaries.) Then |
| because incurring debt for appreciating essentials, | | | | adjust your lifestyle. There are zillions of ways to live |
| such as a home, or for gaining an education or for | | | | more modestly and frugally that will enable you to lay |
| business capital that will be used to earn a living can | | | | up more treasures in heaven, from eating less and |
| be wise stewardship. | | | | eating out less (to know if you've been wasting |
| Credit card debt is the absolute worst kind of debt | | | | money on food, just check your wasteline!), to |
| because the interest is so high, so eliminate it first. If | | | | turning down the thermostat, to ignoring fashion, to |
| your credit card is not paid off completely at the end | | | | driving a smaller, more gas-efficient vehicle, to |
| of each monthly billing cycle, that is a likely indication | | | | keeping that old furniture another five years, to not |
| that you can't control your credit-card spending. The | | | | replacing the dog that died. Applying the principles I've |
| solution is to take a pair of scissors and cut up all | | | | outlined in this article enables our family to live on half |
| your credit cards. That is called plastic surgery. | | | | of what we did six years ago. We now have so |
| Another kind of surgery that can help is | | | | much more to give. |
| televisionectomy. Advertisers pay millions to bombard | | | | I must add that one reader, who hates to see God's |
| us with images of happy people getting new stuff. | | | | money wasted, has requested that I say something |
| Every commercial is designed to create | | | | about giving intelligently, lest all my efforts at |
| discontentment. You can't be seduced by | | | | motivating people to scale down be wasted. So I'm |
| commercials you don't see. Ask your doctor if a | | | | saying it. Give intelligently. Don't waste God's money |
| televisionectomy is right for you. | | | | supporting ministries that promote the American |
| Jesus, of course, didn't lay down any specific | | | | gospel or churches that are social clubs sanctified by |
| commandments meant to regulate our possessions. | | | | a few scriptures. Lay up treasures in heaven by |
| For example, He never decreed the maximum | | | | supporting those who are proclaiming truth, or those |
| allowable square footage of the homes of His | | | | who are helping the poor (Matt. 25:31-46 is great |
| followers. But all of His followers should consider their | | | | guide). There are so many churches and ministries |
| homes in light of His commandment not to lay up | | | | that qualify. The Holy Spirit will help you to give |
| treasures on earth but in heaven. When my wife and | | | | strategically and fruitfully. |