Discerning Materialism
Name:___________________
Instructor:________________
Answer only the italicized questions.
What comprises your dreams and aspirations? What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Are they dominated by career, possessions and money—or by spiritual growth and service?
Who do you admire most, and why do you admire them? Is it because they are examples of godly living—or because they have the most money and toys?
What are your short-term and long-term goals? Do you have spiritual goals of either sort, or only career and material goals? On the other hand, do you have the goal of earning enough money to provide for your family, the local church, missions and the poor?
How do you view retirement? Is it a time to focus on material enjoyment that you have earned, or as a time of greater freedom to serve God?
Do you give your money regularly and generously to God’s service? If money gets tight, do you stop giving until things ease up? Do you give sporadically? Do you only give what is left over after other acquisitions? Which direction are you moving in this area?
Are you able to be content with what you have materially? Do you consciously distinguish between “wants” and “needs?” Are you consistently able to resist buying “wants”—not just because you can’t afford them, but also because it will compromise your giving to Christian work? Are you able to have satisfying recreation without spending significant amounts of money? One indicator here is how much debt you have from non-necessary acquisitions.
What do you do with your spare time? Do you invest significant portions of it in spiritual growth, ministry, relationships—or is it mostly spent on things like more work, recreational activities, shopping, etc.? On the other hand (college students), are video games, dvd’s internet surfing,… slowing your progress towards becoming a significant financial contributor to God’s work?
Is your excitement about God and your outrage of materialism increasing? Are you seeing new ways to grow and serve that excite you? Are you seeing new ways that materialism robs people of abundant life or has your excitement about God become cool, and has your critique of materialism become vague and filled with qualifications?