How Much Is Enough?

Richard Beck over at Experimental Theology wrote a reflection on insights he gained from the book How Much is Enough?: Money and the Good Life by Robert Skidelsky and Edward Skidelsky. He points out how the advent of money changed the way we view our needs and made it easier to hoard without noticing it. It’s a challenging conversation to begin having when the culture around us is bombarding us with messages that manufacture desire. What do we really need? And, more importantly, how can we use our material blessings in ways that glorify God and bring his kingdom to earth?

From the article:

With the rise of money we’ve lost the ability to ask “What do I really need?” That’s a good old-fashioned use-value question that we should spend more time contemplating. Unfortunately, our questions tend to be exchange-value questions, questions like “How much can I buy?”

And with those sorts of questions leading us forward the words of Paul seem particularly prophetic and apt:

1 Timothy 6.10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Image by Kevin Dooley. Sourced via Flickr.