Further Thought: The ultimate human goal is to be happy and satisfied. But being self-fulfilled through materialism will not achieve this goal. Deep down people know this is true, and yet they continue in their obsession with possessions: I see, I want, I take.What could be simpler than that? Seventh-day Adventists, just like everyone else, are faced with the temptation to subscribe to the values of materialism. Yet the continual acquisition of goods does not produce happiness, satisfaction, or contentment.
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Instead it produces problems, as seen when the rich young ruler turned away from Jesus unhappy, despondent, and downhearted because he did not hear or get what he wanted. “Materialistic values are associated with a pervasive undermining of people’s well-being, from low life satisfaction and happiness, to depression and anxiety, to physical problems such as headaches, and to personality disorders, narcissism, and antisocial behavior.” – Tim Kasser, The High Price of Materialism (Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 2002), p. 22.
Materialistic Christians, in other words, proudly drink from the well of wealth but are spiritually dehydrated. But we will never thirst from drinking the water Christ gives (John 4:14).
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Source: Daily Sabbath School Lessons
