THE IMPACT OF THINGS
by Jerry Vines
Scripture: GENESIS 13:1-11, I TIMOTHY 5:24-26, I TIMOTHY 6:9, II CORINTHIANS 12:14, LUKE 12:15, MATTHEW 6:19-24
THE IMPACT OF THINGS
Matthew 6:19-24
By the very nature of the world we live in we are "things"
oriented. We just cannot live a day of our lives without spending
a great deal of our time and attention on the subject of things.
Back in the 1900's a group took a survey and asked people how
many things in 1900 they had to have to make them happy. The
result of the survey was they had to have 72 things to make them
happy back then. The same group did a survey in the 1950's and
asked the same question and people replied that they had to have
496 things to make them happy. I wonder if they took the survey in
1989 how many things you and I would feel that we had to have in
order to make us happy. Actually, the Bible has a great deal to
say about things. In the creation account in Genesis, chapter 1,
the Bible says that God saw everything that He had made,
and God saw that it was good.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with things. The Bible
says that God has given us all things richly to enjoy. In fact, at
1
the end of this sixth chapter, look at verses 32-33 at what Jesus
says about things:
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for
your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all
these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous-
ness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
So there is nothing wrong with things in and of themselves. The
problem comes when we allow things to get out of proportion in our
lives. The Lord Jesus one time said,
... for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance
of the things which he possesseth (Luke 12:15).
In these verses, the Lord Jesus gives us a word of warning about
the danger of things getting out of proportion in your life.
It is not wrong for you to have things but it is wrong when
things have you and when they have a negative impact upon your
life. The Lord Jesus said,
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
Then He says,
But lay up for yo ...
Matthew 6:19-24
By the very nature of the world we live in we are "things"
oriented. We just cannot live a day of our lives without spending
a great deal of our time and attention on the subject of things.
Back in the 1900's a group took a survey and asked people how
many things in 1900 they had to have to make them happy. The
result of the survey was they had to have 72 things to make them
happy back then. The same group did a survey in the 1950's and
asked the same question and people replied that they had to have
496 things to make them happy. I wonder if they took the survey in
1989 how many things you and I would feel that we had to have in
order to make us happy. Actually, the Bible has a great deal to
say about things. In the creation account in Genesis, chapter 1,
the Bible says that God saw everything that He had made,
and God saw that it was good.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with things. The Bible
says that God has given us all things richly to enjoy. In fact, at
1
the end of this sixth chapter, look at verses 32-33 at what Jesus
says about things:
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for
your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all
these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous-
ness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
So there is nothing wrong with things in and of themselves. The
problem comes when we allow things to get out of proportion in our
lives. The Lord Jesus one time said,
... for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance
of the things which he possesseth (Luke 12:15).
In these verses, the Lord Jesus gives us a word of warning about
the danger of things getting out of proportion in your life.
It is not wrong for you to have things but it is wrong when
things have you and when they have a negative impact upon your
life. The Lord Jesus said,
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
Then He says,
But lay up for yo ...
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