Affluenza
There is an interesting term that was coined back in the mid 50’s, so I guess, that by now, we all must be somehow infected, with this interesting disease, some are very heavily infected, and some have a decent sniffle of, “Affluenza.” There are two basic levels of this affliction, Full Blown “Have’s” and all those “Wanna Be’s” who have a mild affliction, and yet long for more wealth, and a fuller infection of “got it all,” and are led to believe that “Having” is the end all , and be all, of everything, that they have finally arrived. Gambling, Lotteries, Robberies-Theft are chased by those who have to have much more of it, and immediately. Christmas often brings this affliction to a Pandemic, as Credit Cards in NZ will soon be infected with Billions of Dollars of Credit Card Debt, just because, I just have to have it right now, no thought of how to re-pay it.
There was an interesting Bluegrass song written some time back and it goes something like this; “There’s a roof up above me, I’ve a good place to sleep, There’s food on my table, and shoes on my feet, you gave me your love Lord, and a fine family, thank you Lord for your blessings on me.” The writer lived in a derelict tiny shack in the back of a junk yard, which in today’s terms, it would have been condemned as uninhabitable, and their shoes and clothing were worse than what is often in many recycle bins, but they at least had something, though minimal, minimal food, but they had lots of love for each other, they had God and family, and that to them was everything, the most critical thing, they were very happy, Affluenza was not an affliction in this one roomed shack full of people, love and family oneness.
God has given us a wonderful gift, and it is called “A Present,” it actually is “The Present” and it is current and you have it right now, the Present, it is a present, dead people no longer have the present, of being present, as they are past and gone, only living people have the present, tomorrow is for tomorrow, so what are you going to do with today, get a bad case of “Affluenza” or is your “Real Christianity” and your “Walk with the LORD” going to make you thoughtful, thankful and grateful for what you have already gotten from him, life, plus Jesus Christ. We read lists like this, that a large majority of the inhabitants of “Planet Earth” do not have a bed to sleep in, their drinking water is something that you would not even wash your car with as it is so filthy, their food is not what you would even feed animals with and the quantity is enough for a baby for one meal and not for an adult for a day, let alone a week, yet people stand up and complain about how tough and deprived their lives are, and yet millions of people would happily change place into their affluence and wealth in a heartbeat.
In Luke’s Gospel there is a wonderful story told, as found in Luke 12:16-21; in summary, a Farmer’s crop was super abundant, so much so, that his silos were holding only a tiny portion of his bountiful crop. The farmer immediately laid plans to store his abundance, and then to live luxuriously on the abundance of food and the wealth from the excess sold off. God’s assessment was, fool (one who lacks wisdom and understanding), tonight you will die, and then who gets the benefit? God knew that his clogged arteries from bad diet/living were about to give him a fatal heart attack, or that weakened blood vessel/aneurism was going to burst causing a fatal stroke and death, God knew about the future, but the farmer could only see the present.
Here are some scriptures for us to contemplate; Proverbs 27:1 “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Job 8:9 “(For we [are but of] yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth [are] a shadow:)” Isaiah 40:7 “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people [is] grass.” Psalm 103:15-16 “[As for] man, his days [are] as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.” Job 14:1-2 “Man [that is] born of a woman [is] of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.” Psalm 102:3 “For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.”
James 4:14-17 “Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.”
Dear Reader; this “silly season” has got so Commercial about, getting, having, possessing, appearing very affluent, so how about some “Living and Giving” and then “Caring and Sharing” Hebrews 3:13 “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Our life is like; Vapour, Shadow, Grass, Flower and Smoke, so we can be here today and gone tomorrow, Affluenza does not bring happiness, now or ever, real life is only found in Jesus Christ and living a “Biblically Based Life, Daily” so quit Affluenza and live happy and healthy, living and giving, and then enjoy the fullness of life, here and for all Eternity.
