5) The Stuff
We can’t ever have enough stuff can we? Walking through the malls, shopping centers, and even surfing the internet, there is always something to buy within inches of our ever expanding reach. It certainly isn’t a sin to have things. We use all manner of stuff to help us work, play, and enjoy life; but we can really get into trouble when our stuff starts to represent how we value ourselves. “If I can get enough stuff, that will show how important and worthwhile I am!” Stuff can become like little totems in our lives that project illusory value on us — and we continuously build altars to the “power” of it. Jesus said, “build your house on the rock.” “Stuff,” boys and girls, isn’t the rock — it’s the sand.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 6:19-21)