GOD or GOODS?

God is a supreme being from who everything came about and exists. God is everything about us and without God, there is no universe. It doesn’t matter whether you believe there is a God or not, the truth of the matter is that this universe has a designer and a power upon which it hangs on that that force is what we call God. That very God is the creator of everything and he is the one who has been part of the history of mankind and that is how some of us have come to appreciate him as our Lord and saviour. And he is the God who created all goods we run after and he alone has all goods we strive to acquire.

Goods, however, are valuables we can live without. They are essentially not needs to sustain life but wants. And the problem is that these goods, directly and indirectly, have taken the place of God in our lives. I don’t remember who but in the many books I have read, someone said:

A god who cannot save his people from problems will soon be deserted.

It looks like the real reason people should have a god in their lives is due to a particular need.

Africa and Asia differ from Europe in one fundamental thing, they (Africa and Asia) are economically deprived. Because of this, there is too much worship of God and gods in Africa and Asia and minimal worship in Europe where things are materialistically alright. Truth is, we all need a God who can provide us with Goods we need in life.

According to my own statistics, 95% of people who believe God, believe him for goods. The preachers preach prosperity, health and welfare and it is no wonder because 97% of the congregation are people with materialistic problems. The Bible itself (depending on how the preacher uses it) is filled with scriptures that promise a better life and riches. So, people, these days go to church to get rich and prosper in everything. Because of this trend, two things have happened, the so-called pastors have become rich through transacting promises with the money of the desperate.

People nowadays do not seek God but GOODS. We fast and pray not for our relationship with God but to get something from God. The world fastest and biggest religion now is known as Consumerism. We believe and worship GOODS but not the God who gives these goods. In fact, God can only be understood and appreciated through GOODS. Without these GOODS, there is no God. However, the theological statement on this matter reads as follows:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Mathew 6:33)

This is scripture is not a verse that challenges our priorities. It is not telling us what should come first and what should come next. In the previous verse, Jesus simply says that God knows exactly what we need and we can have every confidence that He will provide. So we shouldn’t be anxious about these goods like dress, food, etc. Because the God who is our father, and one who loves us knows that we need these things, these goods, therefore, are not part of what we are called to seek (zeteite) but rather they are but an added value (prostithemi) to our proper relationship with the God who gives goods.

There is great motivation and empowerment to seek materialistic wealth. The rush and the traffic you see on your streets is about seeking things, and those things can be tangible or intangible but still goods and not God.

The world suffers the spirit of consumerism and it is due to seeking wrong things. It is the God who created us. It is him that we should seek and all our physical and psychological needs will be just but an added value. An added value is something that you can live happily without. An added value is not what we need but what we want. The golden truth that you and I should understand is that an added value is a default result of seeking and finding God. We should not worship the GOODS OF GOD but we are called to worship the GOD OF GOODS. This is why the scripture calls all the wealth of this world: ALL THESE THINGS. It is things, you don’t need things to get God, you need God to get things.

The theology of the Bible does not say that SEEK YE GOODS AND GOD SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU. We are not called to access God through materialism but instead, we are called to access things through God. This is not an issue of priority but a matter of standards. This is why you should be asking yourself serious questions like: Why am I here? What is my purpose in life?

These are questions that everyone should ask as they look to the future, especially if they are young. If we have no goals, purpose, or guiding principles, then we will waste our lives like so many have wasted theirs in seeking and running after all these things. Your goals shouldn’t be to Goods but to find the God of goods.

The irony of this world we live in is in the fact that the goods you are running after, are the very goods that someone has but still feels empty and wanting in his life. Politicians do understand that political power comes with every good thing in the country. They know that once you are the president or at least a friend with the president, you can access every national resource and treasure. This is what the scripture asks us, unlike politicians to whom God is means and goods the end, to us Christians, God is both the means and then end.

This world is blessed with every good thing we need, but there is a kingdom that is against our access to these treasures. We cannot find these goods in this dark kingdom, even those who have gotten these goods in a kingdom, not under the reign of God have lost everything to decay and rot. We are called to seek the Kingdom of God and once we are in that kingdom, permanent goods are a default status quo.

According to the Bible, you don’t find happiness, fulfilment, and joy in goods, true joy and fulfilment are in God. These things are by-products of a relationship with the living God, in Christ. Let me put it this way: If you seek God and live according to His plan for your life, then you will find happiness. You will find joy. You will also find fulfillment—not through the pursuit of those things, but through the pursuit of God. So seek Him!

God bless you, I invoke TRUTH, REASON and FAITH

Am Pr. I.T.M White

The Gospel Hawker