Once, at a meeting, they compared the pursuing of any materialistic goal (not meaning hedonistic lifestyles, but any goal that is not merely spiritual) with painting the walls of the Titanic. In which sense?
The world where we happen to live in this short period of time is like that ship, in a very close future it will go dramatically to the bottom (carrying along a conspicuous number of people), with a difference: we are aware of the nature of its destiny.
Even more, in a moment like this, when it is clear by now that the Great Tribulation is about, it is obvious how any investment of time, money, energies, or whatever, is totally useless: a real waste and, moreover, a big risk.
The problem is the world and its spirit, trying every day, every moment, to influence our thoughts without having we realize it. We receive, growing up, by usual learning and individual and psychological forming processes, several belief systems. In this system of things inbued with the spirit of the world, many of these beliefs are faulty or misleading. It is normal to perceive stability and safety in institutions appearing mastodontic, immortal, solid, in our eyes. Example: work. Who can deny to feel a sense of stability, safety, while imagining to work, let's say, in a bank? It is an automatic reaction. And unfortunate, I add. Again: who can deny to consider superior instruction like something that can actually make the difference in life? Maybe we would not express it this way, but if we think it through we see how mental images we have, their emotional content, is just this.
Do we intimately know Jehovah? Do we believe in Him? I mean, do we have complete trust that what He says to us is true?
This universe, all its content, all of immense and of human… of course it is important, but when it comes to power and complexity, it is nothing special by God's point of view. It is His creation. It is completely subjected to His thoughts. We do not have a clear idea of how much inferior we are to Him by this point of view.
Isaiah 40:15-17 – Look! The nations are as a drop from a bucket; and as the film of dust on the scales they have been accounted. Look! He lifts the islands themselves as mere fine [dust]. Even Leb´a·non is not sufficient for keeping a fire burning, and its wild animals are not sufficient for a burnt offering. All the nations are as something nonexistent in front of him; as nothing and an unreality they have been accounted to him.
If this does not reflect our our way of seeing things, we have to strive in order to work on it. Do we consider material thing as an unreality? Which importance, which power may anything (governments, weapons, richness, prestige) existing in this world have, compared to God?
Of course, as a generic statement, it is obvious; who could ever object to such an observation? But we are interested in the practice.
Does our life style match this awareness? Are we making of Jehovah our refuge? “We cling to Jehovah when we heed his Word, which often runs contrary to human wisdom ”? I keep on quoting from The Watchtower: “For instance, people influenced by human wisdom may say: ‘You have only one life; make the most of it.’ ‘Pursue a good career.’ ‘Make a lot of money.’ ‘Buy this, buy that.’ ‘Travel; enjoy the world.' ”
Now, as touched on before, none of us would dream to live this way. But our automatic thinking, the instinctive one, is it free from the influence of these patterns? To make a career, to earn some money, to buy things, to travel, all of this is not wrong in itself. God created us to feel satisfied in our daily doings: the desire to perform a job that is satisfying and which matches our aptitudes, it is just natural. Money is necessary, as many material goods as well (without argumenting on how much necessary they actually are, do you think you can live today without mobile phones and private transportation?). To travel, then, it is so nice.
But remember where we are! And in what moment we are living! It's not the time to think about such things, especially now when this natural inclinations can distract us right before the Lord arrives, like nodding off before the dawn.
Moreover:
1 Corinthians 7:31 – “and those making use of the world as those not using it to the full; for the scene of this world is changing.”
It seems clear that the message here is not just “do not make use of the world (as the ones from the nations)”. We could flip the sentence: those who are forced to make use of the world, do it as little as possible!
The difference is huge. This comes up bearing in mind the other scriptures that make us understand we must put the Kingdom first, and “having sustenance and covering, we shall be content with these things.”
With this in mind, I quote once again the same article of The Watchtower: “Does your attitude toward “the world” and “the things in the world” reflect your complete trust in God? Are spiritual riches and privileges of Kingdom service more desirable and important to you than the things the world offers? Do you strive to maintain a ‘simple eye’? ”
So, do we consider all the things a loss, some refuses, as the scripture says? Or maybe we cosider them somehow important? Scriptures are clear: these things are not important, on the contrary, they are harmful to us. Thus we have to work in order to consider them for what they are.
And then there is another aspect:
1 Samuel12:20-22 – “Only do not turn aside from following Jehovah, and YOU must serve Jehovah with all YOUR heart. And YOU must not turn aside to follow the unrealities that are of no benefit and that do not deliver, because they are unrealities. For Jehovah will not desert his people for the sake of his great name, because Jehovah has taken it upon himself to make YOU his people.”
Now I could seem anachronistic to you, but how much highly do you think about the “word of honour”? Once it equated the sign of a contract. To a man of honour, that word is the most binding thing exists, a promise, an oath to respect, a vote. But this is just a vague reflection of what it has to mean to Jehovah, his own word, his own name. This is the most real thing it may exist in absolute meaning; not just in relation to our physical universe. Is an unreachable, impassable limit. His power could stop all we know in a time instant not even measurable…
…and He took charge of it…
…for the sake of His great name…
How can we doubt of Him, after having Him telling us a thing like this?! How can we feel anxiety about material, fleshy, things, when it is Him granting them to us?! How could we search for any kind and degree of refuge somewhere else?!
Doing it would be a serious offence towards Him! It would be just like saying that God cannot or does not want to keep His word!
Are we kidding??
Thinking about these things, now the word of Philippians 4:6,7 have gained better vigour: “Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let YOUR petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that excels all thought will guard YOUR hearts and YOUR mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.”