The Voice of the Christian Community, serving Yuba, Sutter, and Butte Counties
We are therefore Christ’s Ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20)
The American Dream. The idea that prosperity and success will give you a better, richer, and fuller life began mostly as a dream about the ability to achieve as much as you are able based on your abilities and hard work. But over the years it has morphed into something that’s measured almost completely by material wealth and goals. Owning a home (or at least living in one that you partly own…the bank owns the rest). Having a nice car. Pursuing a successful career (and making lots of money). Having a vacation home. Owning a boat, RV, ATV, motorcycle, jet ski, big screen TV, iPhone, one of everything. These have become the focus of the “American Dream”. It’s no longer about the virtue of rewarding industry and diligence justly. It’s all about having bigger, better, and more stuff. And the funny thing is that many of us go through life pursuing this American Dream without consciously examining these goals to see if they’re really ours. Countless people look back on all the effort they expended in buying, using, and chasing stuff and accomplishments with a deep feeling of emptiness and grievous loss. “What was it all for?” “What was my life really about?” “What good did I do?” “What now?” “I wish I had(n’t)…” As the late George Carlin once said, “It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.” (I’m not endorsing everything George Carlin said…) This idea that material prosperity and success will lead to a fulfilling life is ludicrous when closely examined. And it ought to strike a very uncomfortable chord in the hearts of Christians who are fully pursuing God. The problem is that we (Christians especially) don’t question it enough. Too many Christians blindly accept the goals
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of the American Dream as their own and spend their entire lives trying to achieve those goals. Seems like a strange way to live if we don’t want to be conformed to the patterns of this world. What’s So Wrong about Wanting More, Better, or Nicer Stuff? I want to be clear that I am not saying that all Christians must live extremely austere and Spartan lives. There is a place
for the “extras” in our lives – the luxuries that we enjoy. There’s nothing inherently wrong in enjoying the beauty of a nice home, the relaxation of a boat ride, or the satisfaction of successful work. But the “American Dream” has become a lifestyle of seeking pleasure in anything and everything you want. It’s all about you. continued on page 4 - DREAM
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The Ambassador
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