Why do we look everywhere and anywhere but the Bible for guidance on how to live our lives, work our jobs, and spend our money? This is the question that keeps running through my mind as I prepare to teach at the Men's Training Camp this Saturday. I'll be teaching a breakout session on Pursuing Christ in Our Finances. One of my life objectives is to teach and lead people towards seeing the Bible as their primary financial planning tool. I tend to be a pretty straightforward, no nonsense guy, and I'm often taken aback at the amount of practical wisdom and guidance the Bible gives regarding our daily stewardship of family, career, and wealth-tangible things we have been entrusted with. I think Jesus has me studying and teaching in this area regularly to provide ongoing confrontation of my tendency towards self-sufficiency, a very worldly approach. The world we live in bombards us daily with its theology of money (summed up with the word consumption), as opposed to a biblical theology (summed up with the word bless). The world puts its effort into consumption, while Jesus encourages us to use our resources to bless others. In doing my research for this weekend, a few of the statistics I read were absolutely frightening and convicting as I examined my own life and the stewardship of what Jesus has blessed me with:

• A majority of Americans (53%) say that spending more time with family and friends and having less stress in their lives. (52%) would make them much more satisfied with their lives. (1)
• 87% of Americans feel our current consumer culture makes it harder to instill positive values in our children. (1)
• 66% of Americans feel like the bar is constantly rising in terms of the basic necessities of life. (2)
• Over half of those in Generation X (19651976) and Generation Y (19771994) believe the pressure I feel to buy more and better material possessions is greater than ever. (2)

Yet despite the frustration, we don't change.

• Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 38.5 (3)
• Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680 (3)
• A 2001 Nickelodeon study found that the average ten year old has memorized 300 to 400 brands. (4)
• Roughly a million and a half households declare bankruptcy every year. (4)
• 66% say they tend to live from paycheck to paycheck. (5)
• Credit-card debt is at an all-time high, averaging $9,312 per household. (5)
• 32% of Americans report extreme stress. (6)

The only answer to the American Nightmare is to pursue the Biblical Dream, which is found in Jesus and the grace He gives us. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 sums up the contrast quite nicely:

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Sources:
(1) The Center for a New American Dream
(2) MetLife
(3) TV Turnoff Network
(4) Born to Buy, by Juliet Schor
(5) PARADE Magazine
(6) WebMD