Of the living like you deserve any of it, I whole heartedly agree with. I don't think we deserve much of anything.

Wanting good things for oneself? Earning those things?

Should we repent of that?

Maybe...I am not sure.

What do you think?

but what does it mean to earn? essentially it is to deserve something by merit of what you have done.

"Is the pursuit of the American Dream compatible with the pursuit of the life that Jesus has called us to?"

what has Jesus called us to do? Go sell everything you have THEN follow Him. several times he admonishes his followers to give up their earthly pursuits, that which according to the world they had "earned", businesses, family responsibilities, even the clothes on their backs.

last time i checked the American Dream was not about sacrificing your comfort for the sake of Christ or about storing up treasures in heaven so I don't see how the two are possibly compatible.

Myste...this is something that I have been wrestling with.

I don't disagree with you, but I am not always sure how it should play out.

Should we desire to own a house? Should we desire to have kids, even though it may get in the way of fully devoting your life to Jesus?

I fully admit that I struggle in this area - wanting things. Shoot - just look at my music collection. I am a consumer whore, at least in some areas.

And I know where some of it is wrong. But I struggle with the idea of providing security for a family, things like that.

I think the American Dream is an idol that needs repenting from. But, in so doing, does it then change our actions? It has yet to really change my own.

Good question!

"Should we desire to own a house? Should we desire to have kids, even though it may get in the way of fully devoting your life to Jesus?"

personally think that we are called to simplify our lives such that we only have as many posessions as are necessary for us to follow God's calling. Anything in excess of what is minimally necessary is just that, excessiveness. When Jesus sent out the Twelve, he told them "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic."

now i am not saying that we should reject having a spare change of clothes, for most of us are not called to be wandering preachers. but i think the message applies to us. posessions are a distraction, and maintaining ownership of possessions can become an idol.

God will povide for our needs, we neednt worry about what we deserve or what we can earn, God will ensure that we are provided with the tools necessary to follow his call.

it is interesting because even asking this question betrays the abundance of wealth we all have. if we have to ask if something is essential to following Jesus, it probably isn't. think of the millions of followers of Christ in the world who don't even have to deal with this conundrum because they don't even own any personal property.

in fact even owning personal property seemed to be something Jesus eschewed. do we see any evidence anywhere that Jesus owned anything?

I am not sure that we can say that Jesus did not own anything.

We don't really know either way. Just because the Gospels do not mention Jesus owning anything does not mean that he didn't. It also does not say that he did not own anything.

Anything in excess of what is minimally necessary is just that, excessiveness. When Jesus sent out the Twelve, he told them "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic."

Is this something that we are called to be/do? Are we all called to "go out" like the Twelve did?

I understand where you are coming from, and I don't really disagree with you. Really I am just trying to figure out what that means in the context of the life that my wife and I have.

All I know is that there are times where I wished that I was much more poor that I was - maybe I wouldn't have to ask such questions...