DESARROLLO Y RESULTADOS

Humankind is motivated, driven, and preoccupied with the pursuit of things. Few things in this world are more seductive to the heart of people than the lure of materialism. People’s greed for things is one of the strongest of all motivators of human behavior, often outstripping even the motivators of love and family loyalty. Outside the Kingdom of God virtually every human action can be traced back to a material motivation. The quest for things drives human culture.

Everything we do in life we do in order to get more things. Think about it. Why do people go to work? To maintain their ability to buy things. Why do many of them try to “marry up”? To have access to more things. Why do many people compromise their principles and sleep with the boss? It’s not out of love. They are simply trying to gain an advantage and position themselves for more power and more in uence, which translate into more money for acquiring more things.

Religion is no help at all because it has been corrupted by the same seduction. “Religious” prayers, which include most of the prayers of many believers, are focused on things. Far too many people regard prayer as little more than a shopping list for God: “God, I want this, Lord, I need that, God, will you please give me this….”

As if materialistic prayers were not bad enough, most people also have a materialistic faith, a faith that is focused on things. Even within the church there are those whose main reason for following Christ is for what they think they

can get from Him. Believing in God’s provision of our needs is both biblical and admirable, but many within the church have taken that sound concept too far by e ectively making things, not Christ, the object of faith. They “believe” for a new car or a new job or a new house. Rather than pursuing the Kingdom and righteousness of God, they have fallen into the trap of pursuing things, even if they are the things of the Kingdom. But as we have already seen, pursuit of things is always the wrong focus.

All human religions are built on the promise of things: a good harvest, the favor of the gods, victory over one’s enemies, good health, great wealth, enlightenment, control or manipulation of the environment, etc. “Religious” Christians are the same way except that they rely on Jesus to provide what they want. Instead of looking on Christ and His Kingdom as the desired end or goal of their faith, they use Him as merely a means to their real end—things.

Humankind as a whole persists in a collective madness by continually pursuing that which will only bring pain, disappointment, dissatisfaction, and destruction. Things are the source of the world’s problems. Crime, sickness, depression, jealousy, covetousness, malice, envy, strife, stress—you name it—at the root of all these problems and more lies the lust for things.

Why do thieves steal? They are after things. Why do politicians accept bribes? They are after things. Why do young hoodlums attack and even kill a teenage boy for his athletic shoes? They are after things. Why does a woman sell her body? She is after things. She wants to maintain a certain lifestyle. Why do businesses cut corners, cook the

books, and pad their invoices? They are after things. Why does a drug dealer peddle his product to young kids and get them addicted? He is after things.

The lure of things is so powerful that even many Kingdom citizens who once were serious about their walk with God and their righteous positioning have been seduced by it. Once they could be seen at the church building every time the doors were open, at worship, at prayer meetings, at Bible study, participating in ministry projects. Now, however, they are almost never around. When you ask them why, they are always ready with an excuse: “Well, you know how it is. Times are tough. The economy is on the ropes and I’ve got to build my business. I don’t have time for church right now. I’ve got to turn a pro t. When I make a little more money, I’ll come back and bless God with a portion.” Or, “I have to work as much overtime as I can get. We just bought a new car and I have to make sure we can meet the payments.” Or, “I had to take a second job because my regular job doesn’t pay enough, and with my new job I have to work on Sundays.”

On the surface these may sound like reasonable arguments, but in reality they take the exact opposite position to Jesus when He said, “Seek rst the Kingdom of

God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” These folks have gotten things topsy-turvy. They

have stopped seeking the Kingdom and righteousness and begun working for the things that should be added. And in so doing they move out of position and shut themselves o from access to the blessings, benefits, favor, protection, and promotion that belong by right to every Kingdom citizen.

Remember, however, that the active, ongoing pursuit of righteousness is the key to access. Instead of honoring and obeying the God of all things, they have instead made things their god.

If only we would learn to take to heart the truth and wisdom of the ancient Hebrew proverb that says, “The

blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and He adds no trouble to it” (Prov. 10:22)! Prosperity without pressure! Wealth

without worry! Treasure without trouble! These are the realities when we live on Kingdom land and abide by the laws of the King who owns it all. Remember, the Kingdom contains everything that Kingdom citizens need. And all Kingdom citizens have access by right of citizenship to all the things of the Kingdom as long as they pursue the Kingdom and righteousness and not the things themselves. This is the cure for the dangerously seductive power of things.