Instant Gratification
1 Peter 1:3-5
May 21, 2011
Updated on 12:28, 2024
How can a Nation, or a people who expect instant gratification hope to be thankful? We are that kind of people; we carry cell phones and expect an instant reply when cooking we use premixed or precooked because we cannot wait. You may not have noticed but it is in all aspects of our life, and we trained our children like birds’ dogs to expect the immediate. This lifestyle is in direct conflict with our Father in heaven. He tells us to “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10) Have you tried being still and pondering on the “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready in the last time?” (1 Peter 1:4-5)
I was having this conversation with my son-in-law Byron on the 24th of December, as we were enjoying being together, and I say when did this instant gratification began, when I was growing up it was not part of our thinking. Was it the big change with the phone system from pay to cell phones? Now Byron is an engineer by profession and a brilliant guy, and he said, it was not the cell phone, it was credit cards. And a light came on in my small brain, that it, with that plastic card, it gave a person the freedom to not wait, no longer the need for layaway, you could have it now!
Now my daughter claims that the Golden side of the family name was changed to make it fit into the culture. Not sure about that but my parents and their brothers and sisters went through a hard time during the Depression and were very careful about what they spent money on. Jan and I decided before marriage that we would not be slaves to our wants, so the credit card was always paid for in net 30 days.
Have you given thought to how many times people pay for the items they buy using a Credit card? As of December 28, 2024, the average is 24.43%. So, on $1000.00 you pay $100 per month it takes 13 months to pay off, the finance charge is $20.36, and over 13 months you pay $264.68 for instant gratification. If the price of that item was $1,264.58, could you have waited till you had that money? That has been Jan and my lifestyle, and for 44 years we have been debit-free. You may find out that if you had waited, you might not have bought it in the first place. And being debt-free gives one the privilege to help others in need.
One of these things that are working against you and me is the won’t creators, you get them every day in the mail, on T.V. phone calls, and how about Amazon, and the shopping malls. Our builder began building a million-dollar home and he invited Jan and me to a parade of homes. We had been in our home for about 3 years, it was wonderful, and we went to see all those million-dollar homes, and Jan said, to our builder, Kyle, I really like that, and boy that is so nice, and Kyle said, Jan, when you go into the candy store, you got to have money to buy what you want. And that is what you call a want creator, it makes you dissatisfied with what God has blessed you with and you want more.
Folks, it is a clash of kingdoms, yours and God’s, He is not your grandparent, His goal is not to make you happy, His objective is to bring each of us into a relationship in which we are being conformed to the likeness of His Son. If only we would believe that Jesus tells the truth, and the truth is: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) The enemy of your soul has a design for your life called busyness, not being still or thankful for the many blessings that are yours.
Have you stopped and observed the world you are living in, and if you have, you have noticed that the enemy is on top of his game? It does not matter where we are, driving a car, at the movies, in church, or shopping, the cell phones are ringing, people are Texting and they are consumed with the instantaneous. Do we Christians understand that relationships are not established on instant messages; friendships happen when we take time to value, enjoy, and share with the one who is the object of our time. To know about God is one thing, many claim they know about God, but to know Him will require time spent searching His word, searching your heart to see if you are willing to obey and conform to His instructions, and His commands.
Verse three states; “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has called us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” If you are in Christ, this living hope, this inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading is not kept on this earth it is not yours to keep, God is the keeper of your inheritance in heaven. Faith is believing that Jesus tells the truth, and when Jesus tells you that no one can snatch you out of His hand or His Father’s hand, please understand, that you are included in that mix. You may need to read John 10:28-29.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
No comments:
Post a Comment