True Joy

We are a nation of consumers. Our whole economy is based on the idea that if you build a better mousetrap, people will buy it. That is not a bad idea. It inspires better products for the people, and it rewards those who work hard to produce better products. But somewhere along the line, that idea can get twisted. When we begin to think that we deserve the best and more of it. When we base our sense of worth on what kind of stuff we have, then our value system gets warped.

When this idea of consumerism invades our spiritual lives we begin to look for what God will do for us instead of what we can do for God. Charles Colson recently said it this way, “Spiritual consumers are not interested in what the church stands for but in the fulfillment, it can deliver.” It is true that God promises abundant life for His children, but we need to be careful not to let our picture of God’s abundant life be defined by consumerist values.

The true joy of a Christian lies in the knowledge that God, by His own choice, saved unworthy people from eternal damnation and torment by sending His son to die in their place. Thank God that He loves sinners because we all bear that name. Charles Morrison said it right when he said, “The Christian church is a society of sinners. It is the only society in the world in which membership is based upon the single qualification that the candidate shall be unworthy of membership.”

None of us deserve to be called God’s children, but we have been given that gift. The next time you are tempted to grumble about the way things are done at church, or about how your needs or wants are not being met, give thanks to God that He loves unworthy people and ask Him how you can serve Him better.