“Our culture calls us consumers. To consume means to use up, devour, or spend wastefully. How’s that working for us?
Consumer is more than a word; it’s a worldview. If I am a consumer, I am the most important person in the world. Life is all about me–my pleasure, my comfort, my happiness. If I’m a consumer, happiness is found in money and stuff. And if I’m a consumer, life is about competition. I’m happiest when I have more than others have and more than I had before.
And yet, the Bible says these are the exact wrong priorities for anyone seeking a meaningful, purposeful life. From a financial perspective, the Bible describes us as stewards, or managers. God has entrusted us with His resources in order to fulfill His purposes.
When Jesus was asked directly what’s most important in life, He said to love God. He then said our second most important priority is to love others. And the Bible says we’ve all been given talents and passions in order to make a difference with our lives.
Since those are the three overarching purposes of our life, they are the three overarching purposes of money. We are to use money to love God, love others, and make our unique contribution to the world.
If you were to honestly evaluate your current use of money, how well does it line up with these three purposes?”
Matt Bell in “The Purpose of Money: Does our Consumption Reflect Christ?” from Disciple, Summer 2012, 4.