possessions and all their grandeur

oh man, I've been convicted lately. even to the point of being convicted for not feeling convicted when I should have been before. a few messages have really challenged my attitude about the things I hold onto in life and how much I value them.

I have thought lots about living more simply. and I think that was easy for me to think because to an extent, I feel we already live simply on our meager salary [and when I say meager salary I'm referring to disposable income not spent on debts]. but what seems simple to me can be so much simpler. we have many things that we simply did not need to buy. here is an example of some of the things we own that I simply cannot justify in my own head YET still hang on to:

1. my new ipod touch
2. a wireless router
3. five guitars
4. a reputable name brand lcd tv
5. the room in my house that is not used
6. a nice car

I'm sure there's more, but I'm tired and can't think of everything. But why should I be entitled to the above list when so many people lack food, clothing, running water, and medicine? Why did I buy everything above when I could have helped these people in need?

Luke 18:22
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Matthew 25:31-40
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Isaiah 58:5-7
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ? 6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Proverbs 21:13
If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.

ok, God, I get it. I've read many of these verses before.

James 2:14-17
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James 1:22-24
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

ok.
ok.
ok.
so I've had to be beaten over the head a few times to get this. I've had to be beaten a few more times to actually accept it. now I need to do something. for the last 2.5 years, Kelley and I have sponsored a child in Kenya, but to me, that's not enough. it's too easy. while it seemed tough to part with the money at first, it really wasn't a huge sacrifice. it wasn't something that we had to stretch our faith on. it wasn't something that we had to sell our possessions for. it was nothing, really. maybe it makes God smirk a little, but probably not much more than that.

while some people have disagreed with me on this, I think this is something many Christians don't take seriously enough. how many times in the bible does God mention feeding/clothing/taking care of the poor? if we wanna measure this by how often it appears in the bible, it seems to be a huge deal to God - and something EVERY person who calls themselves a follower of Christ should be involved in.

why aren't we selling our possessions and giving the money to the poor? because we "need" them? because we think they bring us happiness? because we can't let go?

why should I own 5-6 jackets?
why should I own 5 guitars?
why do I need several pairs of shoes?
why do I have to eat out as often as I do?

here's where I may lose you if I haven't lost you already: some of us, if we're honest with ourselves, convince ourselves that we "need" something because we use it for the purposes of "fellowship" or "ministry".
"I need all these fancy dishes so I can feed my accountability/small group and have them over"
"I need these board/video games so I can comfort my friend when he's down by playing with him."
"I need this 5th guitar because I'm using it for God by playing worship at church"

these are terrible examples, but you get what I'm saying. and I DO think that in a few cases, things like this can be justified. but man, how can you ignore the needs of people hurting all over the world just so you can have another possession?

possessions are addicting in our society, and I think greed is subtly embedded in us from birth. I feel it all the time. in fact, I felt the urge to buy stuff today that I don't need. but the line HAS to be drawn somewhere when you say, "I cannot own this and feel ok about it when others are suffering and I could have helped."

so for the next few days, I'm thinking about what I need to do... you should too.