There is an epidemic raging in our nation, proven by the fact PBS devoted a one-hour documentary to this epidemic on April 18. The epidemic? Affluenza which is the incessant need of Americans to have more, acquire more, spend more.
Today's edition of USA Today highlighted the impact of affluenza, noting that credit card debt among Americans rose to $2.1 Trillion at the close of 2004.
We want more. We need more. We buy more. We spend more. And yet that aching void in our heart is never satisfied when our longings are met. When we get what we want, we simply shift our attention to the next want.
How do we cure this epidemic, which one writer has said, "the addiction to the affluenza epidemic is stronger than heroin addiction"? We cure it through contentment. Contentment, according to the apostle Paul, is something that must be "learned" (see Philippians 4.11-13). Contentment is not contingent on circumstances but saves us from the comparison-itis that feeds the affluenza epidemic.
This coming Sunday morning, we are going to look in-depth about how to learn contentment. How to simplify our lives. How to create a longing to want less and less and to seek first His kingdom more and more.
