Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would say no (1) as long as those things are ultimately viewed as a gift or blessing from God, rather than being entirely attributable to one's own efforts; (2) as long as they do not assume a greater priority and importance in the person's life than God Himself (meaning that the person would willingly give them up if they created a conflict with the individual's relationship to God that could not be resolved in any other way); and (3) as long as they are obtained and used in ways that do not violate God's commands as found in the Bible.

God delights in blessing His followers (Matthew 7:11; James 1:17), but He also demands their loyalty and devotion before any other person or material thing. Material goods can bring with them a temptation to place them ahead of God, which Christians must always be on guard against.

May 12 2018 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

STANLEY S. DRANE Supporter

I'm glad you asked, when you enjoy material things more than the things of God, that's a form of idol worship, and we must first always put the Lord as first place in our lives,plus be careful (watchful) not to put things before him.

May 19 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Mark Denman Supporter

There are few things we can be reminded of here. God blessed many people in scripture with wealth and material things. His desire is to bless us and it’s not unreasonable to believe that material things are included in many of those blessings. 

Our first desire above the material world should be to love God above all other things. Matt 6:33 - Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added into you. Now this verse talks about the things we “need” so we know that God will supply all our “needs”. Well, Ps 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” So he will also bless us with the things we might want if HE is our first delight. Possessing things and enjoying them is not the sin. It’s when our love of the material things of the world surpasses our love for God that we have moved into idolatry. 

I remember a story awhile ago where a filthy rich multi millionaire committed suicide because he lost all his fortune down to $500,000. In his suicide letter he claimed he couldn’t live like that. I can’t help but think that had he known Christ was all he needed he might have made a different choice. 

Let’s also be reminded that God gives us the ability to create wealth. It’s a gift. Also remember, however, In all that we do, it has to be God first. I truly believe he blesses us only with things that he knows we can handle.

May 28 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report