According to the American Consumer Credit Council, the average American will spend between $800 and $900 on Christmas this year.  That means debt will skyrocket and many families in January will be facing a lot of red ink, even in the midst of a very difficult financial slump.  So why DO people spend so much on Christmas each year?

The answer can be found in one particular fact: We're willing to be slaves to men in order to please other people.  We are willing to go further into debt to please ourselves or others because of the emotional payoff, the joy in their faces, the joy we experience in shopping for them, and the joy that things bring us.  But despite their high price tag, these gifts are lacking in one specific area that has nothing to do with money.

You see, we like to give large portions of our lives to things that don't matter.  People will work extra hours to get more money to buy stuff they don't need.  People will spend large amounts of time watching television, being entertained, or just doing whatever they want, committing their lives to things that are ultimately unrewarding.  Knowing this, Paul warns about changing our lives for the benefit of men.  He says in 1 Corinthians 7:23-24:  You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.

The message is that becoming a slave to men, either financially, emotionally, or spiritually, is a conflict of interest to Christians.  We were "bought with a price," meaning that our lives are not our own to invest as we wish.  Instead, we should accept that God called us in our circumstances to make the best of the gift he gave to us, of life, of knowledge in Christ, and our sacred charge to spend ourselves glorifying God.

So, however big your Christmas list, remember who you belong to this season and every season.  The greatest gift you can give is the joy and peace that comes from knowing God, and that gift is free to all who would receive him.  It is too expensive a gift to trade in for anything else, so let's share it with others.

God bless this week,

Michael