I have everything. Do I need God?

By Johnny Presley, YBL Marketing Intern

This summer I had the incredible opportunity to spend two months in Poland as a church planting intern. One of the main objectives of my trip was to learn about the history and culture of Poland by connecting with the people. I would start conversations with university students in a park or take church members out to dinner to hear about their upbringing and how they view the world now. What I found was that, even though I was thousands of miles away from my home in America, many common threads tied these two cultures together, and they all led back to God.

Poland has shared many strong ties to Christianity ever since its inception. America is no different. At one point, Christianity was seen as a unifying force between each country’s citizens. For Poland, this occurred in the late 1900s as communism continued to spread from Russia. The church was a stronghold that stood up to the oppressive Iron Curtain. However, in the early 90’s Poland held its first democratic election and adopted a free-market capitalist economy. Shortly after this time, GDP and personal savings accounts increased, but church attendance and reliance upon God began to dwindle. Today, church attendance among younger Poles has decreased exponentially more. America has experienced the same decline for the past three decades as well. Why have these countries abandoned their Christian principles and identity that initially established them as great nations? Here are three initial observations I have:

1) God’s word warns us about the dangers of depending upon earthly riches, rather than the creator of the earth.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 notes, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income”. Similarly, Proverbs 30:8-9 states, “Give me neither poverty nor riches — Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, and say, ’Who is the LORD?’ Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” Pursuing earthly profits alone will not satisfy our soul, and it will lead to turning our back on the LORD.

2) The Bible is clear; it is more valuable to invest in eternal riches than temporary ones.

Proverbs 11:4 states, “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” Christ offers a similar perspective, saying, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20). The righteous man works to build up God’s kingdom on earth. He does not work to build up his bank account.

3) God’s word tells us how to depend on the LORD.

We should pray the words of Paul, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19). God is the one who gives all things. He is the one who meets our every need. It is not the stock market or government support that upholds our lives, but the creator of all things; the one who blesses us richly. The one who did not withhold his son from us, but freely gave him up as a sacrifice for our sins. This is who we are called to depend on and put our trust in.

I fear that over the last many decades, both Americans and Poles have forgotten the God that upholds them and instead have relied upon their hard work to build a comfortable life. This is certainly what the evidence suggests, and what God’s word warns about. Maybe you have experienced this tension in your own life. Perhaps you can think of others who have turned from God to money. I challenge us all to remember that God is the one who provides. Pray for us to be more concerned with investing in eternal rather than earthly treasures. Depend on God, who is eternal, never changing, and true; not on riches, which fluctuate, deceive, and finally fail us.