It’s Just Stuff

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. ESV James 1:9-11

How do you think biblically about your stuff? Well, you begin by recognizing that it’s just stuff. Can you say that—it’s just stuff—with sincerity? I’ve got a friend who’s in full time ministry that experienced the devastation of a house fire a few years ago. Worse still, my friend and his family experienced the devastation of an uninsured house fire. They lost all of their material possessions; everything. Thankfully, they escaped physically unharmed and have been able to rejoice in that. And, thinking biblically, they describe their destroyed and missing items as ‘just stuff.’

I’ve heard other folks speak of material possessions in the same manner over the years, but all too often it seems that we worship our stuff. Gathering more of it seems to be an end in itself and protecting it becomes a time consuming chore. We build bigger barns to hold our toys instead of enjoying and appreciating the more enduring treasures around us. I dare say that many folks would be insulted by the thought of their material greatness being referred to as ‘just stuff.’

James wouldn’t have any qualms with our terminology though. Well, neither would Isaiah, the Psalmists or Jesus himself to name just a few. But anyway, James is pointing out that our security and real worth is not wrapped up in stuff. All of our things will be stripped away one day and only the enduring, eternal things will matter. And the true object of our worship will be revealed.

Warren Wiersbe sums up this passage as well as anyone I’ve read. He says, “God’s testings have a way of leveling us. When testing comes to the poor man, he lets God have His way and rejoices that he possesses spiritual riches that cannot be taken from him. When testing comes to the rich man, he also lets God have His way, and he rejoices that his riches in Christ cannot wither or fade away. In other words, it is not our material resources that take you through the testings of life; it is your spiritual resources.”

So, continuing with our recent theme of how to think biblically in everyday situations, one way is to recognize that our confidence cannot be in our possessions. From a biblical and eternal perspective, our material possessions are, well, ‘just stuff.’ All the while true joy, confidence, security and our blessed hope rests in Christ alone.

Ken Askew