We live in a consumeristic world. All you have to do is take a scroll on social media to know it’s true. Banners and ads tell us we need more—more food, more pleasure, more gadgets—and that we should do whatever it takes to get it.
Take a few minutes to journal about how our culture of consumerism might be affecting your relationship with God.
What do you hope to get from him?
If he never gave you what you wanted, would you still follow him?
The people in Corinth also lived in a consumeristic culture. They were used to comfortable lives filled with luxury imports, temple prostitutes, and live entertainment. While the specifics of their consumerism might be different than ours, the sentiment is the same. They wanted more. Whatever the cost.
Re-read 1 Corinthians 4:8.
8You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you.
As we’ve seen before in this letter, the Corinthians were living however they wanted. Paul calls them “kings.” In contrast with the lives of the apostles—who were beaten, imprisoned, and mocked—the Corinthians had little to complain about. But instead of living for Jesus, they were fighting over which leader gave the best sermons.
It’s uncomfortable to admit, but we’re a lot like the Corinthians. We can make Sunday morning about our worship preference or favorite sermon style. The celebrity culture that’s trickled into Christian circles can distract us too.
But Jesus didn’t come, die, and rise from the dead so we could treat him—and the people who follow him—like a Netflix queue. We can’t pick and choose the parts of Christianity that we like, discard what we don’t, and set some things aside for later.
Following Jesus is an all-or-nothing kind of life.
The consumerism mindset doesn’t stop with how we live the Christian life. It trickles into what we think about Jesus too.
Let that truth sit with you for a few minutes.
What do you expect from Jesus? Are you more interested in following Him or in what He can give you?
Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and/or share it as a comment below
I use to chase fashion brands like supreme, yeezy, and Nike. I spent a lot of money and time on those things. Even though I don’t have the gadget to buy them. I was very attached to these worldly things. Later on I realized that the thing we have in this world will be left behind and the things that we will take with us is the wisdom of God. I strongly agree with what Bumble said. A lot of things that’s on commercials and advertisements are not necessary for our live. Instead of buying those things, I could have helped out my community and people around me. So I will start to trying doing that.
Sometimes I am more interested in what Jesus can give me in terms of the things of the world. I realize how consumerism leads to my materialistic desires/idols rather than keeping my mindset Christ-centered. In my life specifically, I would spend a lot of money and time on clothes in general, as if how I present myself is what makes up my identity, but what identifies me should not be my possessions but as a child of God. Even though clothing and stuff shouldn’t be harmful, it’s important to recognize that the most important image to reflect is of God’s love.
Consumerism is huge nowadays and I can see how that is being portrayed in my life. I would even say it has been a distraction to my identity and how I want others to perceive me. Rather than focusing on the characteristics of myself like being compassionate, loving, faithful, etc, I focus on things like what outfit should I wear to impress my friends or how should I do my hair. Another thing is because of the culture of social media I am constantly being told how to look and the importance how my physical appearance. Today I am being reminded of how similar I am to the Corinths. If it isn’t in the eloquence and prestige then it’s in the otherworldly things. I hope that moving forward, that I continue to stay grounded and not be rooted in worldly things.
As for expectations from Jesus, I think it depends. Although I know I should not have these expectations from Jesus because he gave me the greatest gift already, it is difficult to believe that when life does not go your way. I am at the stage where I am aware that if I can change my perspective on the obstacles laid out in front of me I am able to praise God in the good and bad times but right now it is hard.