Happy Friday,
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus, Matt. 6:21
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs us to not “store up our treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal.” But instead, “to store our treasure in heaven.” He then says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Some believe Jesus is saying that our spending reveals our heart. Perhaps, but his bigger point is that our spending shapes our heart. If we want to love the true, good, and beautiful, we need to invest in the true, good, and beautiful — i.e., His kingdom.
Quotes Worth Requoting: 1) “When we begin to glimpse the reality of God, the natural reaction is to worship him. Not to have that reaction is a fairly sure sign that we haven’t yet really understood who he is or what he’s done.” N.T. Wright; 2) “The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems, for he sees at once that these have to do with matters which at the most cannot concern him for very long.” A.W. Tozer
Without Comment: 1) According to this AEI report, lonely young people are 7x more likely to say they are active in politics than young people who aren’t lonely; 2) According to this Gallup poll, the average US teen spends 4.8 hours per day on social media, with girls spending an hour more than boys; 3) According to this CNBC report, the wealth of the top 1% of the US — those with a net worth > $11M — is now a record $44.6T; 4) According to this report, the percentage of students who are chronically absent — i.e., who miss school at least 10% of the time — has climbed from 15% before the pandemic to 26% today; 5) According to this CNN business report, Trader Joe’s recently increased the price of bananas for the first time in 20 years (in related news, Dollar Tree recently raised the maximum price of items in its store from $5 to $7); 6) This study notes that Americans now worry more about their mental health than they do about cancer.
IS2M: 1) We are going to have to look a lot more redeemed before we can hope that people will believe in our Redeemer; 2) It’s unreasonable to expect me to adjust to the “negative leap second” recalibration of the clocks. My schedule is too finely tuned to allow for this adjustment; 3) People should be clear-thinking enough to realize that Western culture got some things right; 4) Those who think we are just a suite of legislation away from a perfect society feel justified in doing just about anything to get that legislation passed; and 5) The spread of the early church throughout the Roman Empire makes it clear that Christians can impact society without political power.
HVRD’s Moment: In spite of being owned by Clorox, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing now outsells ketchup; its logo has become a popular tattoo, and some bridal couples have replaced the chocolate fountain at their wedding reception with an HVRD fountain instead.
Dates, Worms, and Lights: The story is told of a monk who woke up hungry in the middle of the night. After lighting a candle, he reached into a bowl of dates next to his bed, picked up one, and took a bite of it. Glancing down at the half that remained, he noticed a worm, so he threw the date away. He picked up another, took another bite, noticed another worm, and threw it away. He took another. Same. Another. Same. Finally, frustrated, he blew out the candle.
Capitalism and Faith: Capitalism offers a bit of a Faustian bargain — gain riches and freedom but lose stability, tradition and community. More and more are signing up, which has dramatically helped lower the levels of extreme poverty. Count me among those who think it is the best economic model available to broken people. But… if capitalists are not shaped by humility, compassion, and generosity, things get ugly. Jesus was not kidding when he said, “The love of money leads to all sorts of evil.”
Marriage: I was encouraged to see Nicholas Kristof interact so positively with Brad Wilcox’s advocacy of marriage. You can read Kristof’s piece here. It’s full of interesting data — such as the fact that while getting a college degree increases the odds of describing oneself as “very happy” by 64%, marriage increases the odds of being “very happy” by 151%. And being “very happy” in marriage boosts the odds by 545%.
Resources: I will be speaking at a Lakelight Live event in Indianapolis on Tuesday, April 16th, at 7 p.m. at the Indianapolis Vineyard Church (8383 Craig St.). The topic is On the News: How and Why the News Has Changed. How it is Changing You. And What to Do About It. For more information or to sign up for this free event, click here. To listen to last week’s Easter sermon, which was — surprise, surprise — on the resurrection, click here.
Closing Prayer: Loving and tender providence of my God, into your hands I commend my spirit; to you I abandon my hope and fears, my desires and repugnances, my temporal and eternal prospects. Though temptations should assail me, I will hope in you… You are my kind, compassionate, and indulgent Father, and I am your devoted child who casts myself into your arms and begs your blessing. Amen. Claude La Colombière (1641-1682)