When you are young, you don’t realize how good you have it. My high school history teacher would tell our class, "Hey gang, while you are living in your parent’s household you have more money available to you than you may have for the rest of your lives." And he explained further, "You have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, your utilities are covered, the refrigerator is stocked full of fresh fruit and vegetables, the pantry and freezer are full, your parents keep your car gassed up and insurance paid, your health insurance is covered, and you don’t have to worry about property taxes."
In journalism, our class would write articles about the need for a two dollar a day property tax increase to fund more school programs. I couldn’t understand why my parents didn’t want their property taxes increased by a couple of cups of coffee a day.
As a teenager, you live in a bubble! When I was a teen I was working at K’s Merchandise Mart and at a little restaurant. Financially speaking, I was debt free! I used cash to buy computers, remote controlled cars, electronics, and games. I had this large certificate of deposit that my parents set up with cash they received from a settlement. Each quarter I would tear into the statement and watch the balance grow. That money would be available to me when I turned eighteen and was ready to go to college.
But there came a time when just as my history teacher warned, that my bubble would pop. Do you remember the first time you began living on your own? Do you remember the first time you had to buy groceries, pay your car insurance, or make a rent payment? Life gets rough in a hurry.
The parable of the prodigal spender.
Many of us are familiar with Jesus' parable of the prodigal son which is detailed in Luke 15. In Luke 15:11-12 (NIV) Jesus tells how, "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them."
The younger son didn’t realize how good things were for him when he was living in his father’s household. He was eager to stretch his wings, get out on his own, and tackle life by the horns. In biblical times, typically an estate would be divided upon a father’s death. But this wayward son had no interest in waiting for some legal technicality, like his father’s death. The son was living in the now! He saw something he wanted and nothing was going to get in his way, not even his own father’s life. "Father, give me my share of the estate."
Now I do know that this parable is called the parable of the prodigal son. But what if just for this morning, we called it the parable of the prodigal spender? The moment the son steps out from under his father’s roof, he is in trouble. He immediately foolishly depletes whatever wealth he had acquired from his father. Then he has some bad luck. There’s a famine. And only then does he feel the pain. With no money left, he hires himself out to people who have little regard for his own well being.
Luke 15:13-16 (NIV) says, "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything."
The slippery slope of spending.
After I graduated high school, I was eager to get away and run off to college. I resolved that no matter what the cost, I would get a bachelor’s degree in four years. The first semester I transferred money from my certificate of deposit. The second semester I did the same thing. But when the third semester came around, I was in trouble. In just two semesters I completely depleted my life savings. I had this pit of anxiety in my stomach.
And the college had a policy that said that your school bill had to be paid in full at the end of each semester in order to continue on to the next semester. I began the third semester not knowing how I was going to pay for school. So I took a job cleaning a dentist's office each night. I worked on campus in the maintenance department. I worked for a small business in downtown Lincoln. I applied for scholarships. I preached in a rural country church on weekends.
All I can remember about those times is that things were spiraling out of control with regard to my finances. The car my parents had given me began needing serious repairs. As a student, one repair shop in Lincoln took advantage of me. By that time I had also met Lara. With all my money going toward tuition, I couldn’t even afford to take her out on a date. I was so ashamed because Lara would pay for our dates. She would also buy me clothes and things I needed. I was doing everything I could financially and it didn’t seem like it was ever enough.
One day I was in the bank and I saw this colorful advertisement. Mastercard! I was overcome with emotion. I could use that credit card to buy clothing, go on dates, fill my gas tank, and pay college tuition! My intention was to pay the balance off every month, but it didn’t quite work out that way. The credit card balance grew.
A little while later I discovered yet another solution. Student loans! Student loans could be used for virtually any kind of expense. I borrowed one thousand dollars, then two thousand, then four thousand, then four thousand more to pay off my credit cards. Five thousand, eight thousand. The car my parents gave me eventually broke down. So I went to the bank and got a car loan and purchased a newer car. Another thirteen thousand dollars in debt!
After graduation, Lara and I got married. I had to buy her a wedding ring, you know. And we couldn’t move into an empty parsonage with no furniture. Department stores were more than happy to offer no payments until next year! After graduation I decided to pursue my Master’s degree. The incentive? I could defer my student loans for another three years until after I graduated! Cha-ching… Cha-ching.
Out of control spending quickly leads to out of control debt.
We’ve all been on the slippery slope of spending, and the story is always the same. We venture out on our own. We deplete our resources. We fall on hard times and have a little bad luck. We begin to feel the pinch. We get desperate. And we sell ourselves out to lenders who have very little regard for our true well being.
An authornamed Ron Blue said, "Getting into debt is like getting down an ice covered mountain. Getting out of debt is like climbing back up that same mountain."
It is terrifying that any one of us could walk out of this room and spend an entire year’s salary, or several years' salary with the swipe of a credit card, the stroke of a pen, or a click of the mouse. Once you start sliding down the slippery slopes of indebtedness, it takes a small miracle to regain your footing and climb back up again.
Coming to our senses.
In the story of the prodigal son, also known as the prodigal spender, he eventually comes to his senses.Luke 15:17-20 (NIV) says, "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father."
It would be easy for us to beat up on the prodigal son for his wasteful spending. But the prodigal son is one of my heroes! At least he came to his senses. At least he acknowledged that he had a problem. A lot of people just keep going down the same worn path! A lot of people just keep signing up for more debt. At what point do we begin to acknowledge the true cost of our possessions?
The true costs of our possessions.
After Lara and I got married, it took her six months to find a job. My part-time salary was barely enough to pay our health insurance, buy groceries, and keep the car fueled. Finally she got a job and I started a second job. We were elated. But that very week I went out and bought a table saw for my wood shop.
One night I was sitting in front of the computer using Quicken to add up all my debt. It was depressing. I realized that it would take over a decade to pay back all I owed. And it wasn’t Lara’s fault. I had no one to blame but myself. "Lord help me. I keep sinning. What’s wrong with me? I am a preacher of your word and I have so little integrity here."
Returning to the abundance.
Before you judge him, remember that at least the prodigal son came to his senses. Something drastic had to change. His path of indebtedness was a path of self-destruction. In Jesus' parable, the prodigal son makes a critical decision to return to the abundance he once enjoyed in his father’s household.
Once again, Luke 15:17-20 (NIV) says, "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father."
But the rest of the story continues in Luke 15:20-24 (NIV). "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate."
Sometimes pride has to run its course and wear itself out before it becomes teachable. The prodigal son had to feel desperation and pain in order to come to his senses. He had to stand outside in the cold before he could appreciate being under his father’s roof. How interesting that even God’s servants have food to spare while the world starves. God takes care of his children. God takes care of his servants. No one goes hungry in the house of the living God.
It’s of great interest to note what entices the prodigal son to return home. When he left his father, he thought he was chasing after the life that is trulyvital. To him, life was seizing control of his father’s estate, wrestling away property and material things, and throwing a giant wad of cash at the world and all its delights. But the world left him broke, destitute, and devoid of life. "This son of mine was dead."
The practice of simplicity.
But at the end of the story, do you realize where the son discovers life? In the simple things! Simply having it even half as good as his father’s hired men. Simply seeing his father running out to embrace him. Seeing his father’s tears of compassion, streaming down his face. Feeling his father’s embrace, being kissed, and accepted without question or condemnation. Simply being fitted with a robe and sandals. Having a meal in his father’s house. Being called a son again by his own father.
In Luke 12:15-21 (NIV) Jesus says, "...'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' And he told them this parable: 'The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.' And I’ll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' ' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
We never find true life outside of God’s household or outside a relationship with the Father in heaven. Apart from God, no abundance of possessions, property, or wealthwill ever quench your hunger and thirst and greed for more. You’ll always be left empty, wanting more.
Simplicity is outlined in Hebrews 13:5.
In your outline, I reference the practice of simplicity.The practice of simplicity is fully understanding Hebrews 13:5. Hebrews 13:5 (NIV) says, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'
Practicing simplicity involves two steps. The first step is developing a detachment from material things. Owning more things doesn’t mean more happiness, more satisfaction, or more pleasure. Having more stuff doesn’t mean more security, more stability, more fun, or more joy. Keeping more possessions doesn’t mean more self-esteem and more prestige.
Life does not consist in the abundance of man’s possessions. But there is a second step to practicing simplicity. The second step is attachment to the lordship of Jesus Christ. There isn’t a single thing in this world big enough to fill the void in your life except God himself. God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
In 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NIV) the Bible says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."
The story of the rich young ruler.
In Matthew 19:16-29 (NIV) we find the story of another young man who wasn’t half as wise as the prodigal son. "Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, 'Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?' 'Why do you ask me about what is good?' Jesus replied. 'There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.' 'Which ones?' the man inquired. Jesus replied, 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 'honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' ' 'All these I have kept,' the young man said. 'What do I still lack?' Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.' When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth."
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' Peter answered him, 'We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?' Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.' "
Where will you find life? In pursuing God or in pursuing things?