Stuff I Wish I'd Said...

In my sermon on Matthew 5:6 and the idolatry of possessions, if I'd had time to get into application, I would have challenged us to wrestle with these questions which are in no particular order. It`s very easy to fall into the trap of legalism when it comes to setting guidelines in our homes and churches regarding this stuff, but I`d suggest that the real danger facing our culture here isn`t legalism, but libertarianism. If you are wrestling with the possibility that you`re a slave to your right to own property, you might consider prayerfully working through these questions during your time with God over the next few days:

• Whose money is in your bank account? Does your giving show that God's Kingdom is your priority?
• Whose house do you live in? Does God have the right to ask you to sell it and move downtown? 
• What guidelines (if any) have you and your spouse established to keep you (or them) from buying stuff frivolously? 
• Would you be willing to let another Christian ask and challenge you about your purchases from the last year?
• Are you using your property to prove your value? Would you know it if you were?
• Are you keeping for yourself more than you are giving away?
• How big an inheritance do your children really need? Are we really doing our kids a favor by giving them less work to do?