Why being thankful may be impossible

 The bane of the Western world is materialism. We’ve been known for waste and greed in the United States for a very long time. Yet, we’ve been humbled by recent developments. Has it helped?

We spend a lot of money for Thanksgiving and then we go into debt on Black Friday. We thank God for what we have on Thursday and then bow to possessions on Friday.

The American economy has been a disaster over the past decade. /1

* The national debt is more than $17 Trillion. * Personal debt is more than $16 Trillion. * Almost 48 million people are on food stamps. * More than 91 million people are out of the work force

More than 21 million people are unemployed.

Despite these staggering numbers, stores are filled with consumers spending money that they don’t have for the latest toys and gadgets. Nothing can stop the swipe of credit cards.

We cannot imagine how revolted God is at the materialism of the United States of America. So many souls could be reached with the money we spend on frivolities.

* Are we more appreciative of what we have in these lean years? * Have our attitudes changed about possessions and money? * Are we more thankful for what we have? * Have we cut our giving to God so we can keep spending?

God has always seen money as a tool to live our lives and to serve God.

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24, NKJV).

God wants us to use everything we have–money included- -to bring glory to his Son (Ephesians 3:20-21). If we’ll live for him, God will “open for [us] the windows of heaven and pour out such blessings that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

God should be our wealth and glory, not money and things. We cannot truly be thankful until we break our addiction to possessions.

God doesn’t have Spenders Anonymous meetings. Instead, he has repentance (Luke 13:3-5) and transformation (Romans 12:1-2). Will we step up and admit we are too materialistic or will we continue to rationalize it away and keep spending?

Let us loose the grip of this world, humble ourselves before God and be thankful to our core.

________ 1/ http://www.usdebtclock.org/

Richard Mansel @ www.forthright.net