Capítulo 2: FROM CONSUMING TO CONVERLERTING
PART 3:
Way back in the Garden of Eden, Eve wanted what she wanted! God had told her and
Adam that they could eat of any tree in the garden … except for one. And Eve
decided she wanted more. Satan came and enticed her; he convinced her that she wanted
the fruit of that tree and the knowledge that he promised would come with it. She wanted
more than what God had already given her.
Unfortunately, we are all in the same boat. Most of us want more. More of whatever we
don't have. More stuff, more prestige, more opportunity, more power, more influence.
You name it; we want more of it, if we're honest. And because of that desire for more,
we concentrate on how we can meet our own desires
and needs and give little thought to our eternal
destinies or the eternal destinies of others. But you
know what? God wants to change the propensity you
have to focus on yourself into a focus on his desires
and goals. Because when we focus on ourselves, we are willing to consume our time and
talent and treasure on the immediate rather than invest it in the eternal.
The Chief Consumerlator
The Bible tells us in Genesis 1–3 that God created a beautiful and perfect world. He
created Adam and Eve in his image to inhabit his perfect world with the express purpose
of having fellowship with him. And his creative design was for Adam and Eve to
administer responsible stewardship over his creation.Unfortunately, a fallen angel, named Lucifer, entered God's creation to entice mankind to
disobey God, thereby introducing sin into God's perfect creation. We often refer to
Lucifer as "Satan." Peter describes him in the New Testament in this way, "Your enemy
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). I
like to refer to Satan as the Chief Consumerlator (another new word!). A consumerlator
is anyone or anything that steals an opportunity to converterlate time, talent, or treasure
into something of eternal value. Satan's express purpose is always to steal, kill, and
destroy that which is good. He will use whatever means possible to get us to use our
resources on those things that are perishable. He wants us consuming our resources rather
than converterlating them!
Choices, Choices, Choices
We have been born into a world not of our own making; it is a world full of conflict with
many voices demanding our attention. Specific circumstances, including physical,
emotional, mental, spiritual, and material, shape and influence our lives in almost
unlimited ways. And the conflict rages in
both the seen and unseen worlds;
Ephesians 6:12 tells us, "For we are not
fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies,
but against evil rulers and authorities of
the unseen world, against mighty powers
in this dark world, and against evil spirits
in the heavenly places" (NLT). Our
world tells us, "Use this specific product,
buy this specific brand, accumulate more
stuff, desire the best, use your time here, use your talents there." And all the while, we are
consuming. Only God's Word can give us the hope, power, and guidance we need to
make our way through the jungle of activity in this complex world.
It is important to remember that the choices we make now impact greatly how we not
only experience life here on earth, but how we will live in eternity. Second Corinthians 5:10 says, "For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive
whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body" (NLT). This
provides us with enormous opportunity! We need to embrace the fact that life now can be
tons of fun when we become Converterlators!
Starting with the Truth of God's Word
The Bible tells us:
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus
Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—
gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal
what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work
has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the
work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss.The foundation for all converterlating is found in this verse; the Bible is clear that we
begin our converterlating with our relationship with Jesus Christ! From there, it is critical
that we learn to make the Word of God operative in our lives so we can make the right
choices. God's Word gives us the wisdom we need to avoid the eternally devastating
result of having our life end up in a pile of ashes.
Looking Beyond
Fortunately, both of us had a great deal of exposure to personal counseling as well as
Bible study. Both the counseling and exposure to the Word of God gave us confidence
that our marriage was the right thing to do. We found these two elements to be important
for our relationship.
When taking the time to pursue counseling, it is interesting to note that sometimes people
come to realize they should not enter the marriage relationship and they decide not to
marry. This is a good use of time (and treasure, since counseling usually costs money)!
Obviously, it is better to use a portion of the wedding funds for wise counsel; investing in
the relationship itself, rather than simply consuming all of it on a temporary ceremony. A
wedding is a onetime event, and as special as it is, it is over quickly. A marriage is for a
life-time. Instead of having a marriage with a short "shelf life," the couple who wisely
uses their money for something that will benefit them down the road has a better chance
of experiencing a lasting marriage.
Another example of using treasure for the long term is the planning and investing for
retirement. The bottom line: if all dollars are spent on immediate consumption, little is
left over for proper investment to finance one's retirement. A very large percentage of
Americans have inadequate funds to finance their retirement. It takes discipline and a
denial to spend on immediate gratification in order to plan and invest for a future
retirement.
I have tried to follow a basic principle through the years: I try to make as much as I can,
save as much as I can, and give away as much as I can, taking into account whatever
financial obligations I have. Here's where God's wisdom is critical. We can rationalize
anything. It's important to enjoy the fruits of our labor within what we determine to be
"reasonable," while at the same time staying sensitive to God's direction.
The Best Defense Is a Good Offense
The Bible tells us, "Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must
rule over it" (Genesis 4:7). Since the beginning of time, Satan has been seeking to trip
people up! It is critical that the
resurrection power of Christ be at
work in our lives in order to enable
us to live the life that God desires for
us. As this power grows in our
hearts, the spiritual desires to invest
our time, talent, and treasure in the
kingdom of God will overcome our
desires for pursuing perishable
things. The lure of the world is
constantly with us, we must find a
way to recognize when we are being
tempted to waste our resources, and then know what to do about it! When we submit to
God, the Holy Spirit empowers us to focus on his desires for us.
What kind of legacy are we going to leave behind in this world when our time bubble
pops? I remember a conversation with a friend about a mutual acquaintance who had
passed away. My friend made the comment, "Man, did that guy ever like to party! The
parties at his place were out of this world!" And I thought, "Wow, that is some legacy!"
What benefit to the world was that? What benefit to the kingdom of God? Celebration is
part of life, but to make it the only focus in life is a great mistake. Like every boat, your
life will leave a wake behind it. The question is: What kind of wake are you leaving
behind? What will those who knew you, say about you when you are gone? In the New
Testament we read, "Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life" (2
Timothy 4:10, NLT). Demas apparently was unwilling to defer experiencing temporary
pleasure in order to accumulate treasure in heaven. Being actively involved as a
converterlator is one of the best protections against falling into the plight of Demas.When we engage in the things God has for us, we are less likely to become distracted by
what the world has to offer.
Only the Word of God can give us a proper perspective. The world system ultimately
destroys and will be destroyed itself according to Scripture. Even so, the Bible gives us
the counsel we need to conduct ourselves in this difficult world. We have the opportunity
to become skilled Converterlators. If we are successful in
this endeavor, we will be victors rather than victims.
Failure to become a skilled Converterlator means we run
the risk of being devoured by the Chief Consumerlator,
causing us to suffer eternal loss.
We live in a world filled with conflict. Satan is doing his best to disrupt our lives and
divert our attention from achieving the goals God has for us. As we read earlier in
Ephesians 6:12, conflict rages in the spiritual realm. We see only a small part of the
larger battle, but individually we experience this battle in a variety of ways, including
physical, material, spiritual, emotional, and mental stresses. However, we do have a
powerful weapon to counteract any attack we experience. The Word of God gives us the
hope, power, and guidance we need to make our way through this complex world. "The
Lord says, 'I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch
over you'" (Psalm 32:8, NCV).
Jesus said we need to be wise as serpents, since we are in a world full of ravenous wolves
(Matthew 10:16). The world system will ultimately destroy and be destroyed itself
according to Scripture. Even so, the Bible provides the direction we need to make wise
choices in this difficult world.
In Ephesians 6 we read, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand
against the devil's schemes. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth … the breastplate of
righteousness, … your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace
… take up the shield of faith … the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the Word of God" (verses 11–17). The Christian life is all about advancing for the
purpose of accomplishing God's will on this earth. We invade the darkness with the light
of the gospel, going into all the world with all of the means God has given us. Retreat is
not an option. We are in a battle, taking new ground.
I took my son to the Gettysburg battlefield and we found a small plaque in the ground
that said, "Write home, and tell them I died facing the enemy." This person faced the
enemy, they did not retreat! The list of armor in Ephesians does not mention any
protective provision for our back. We are to advance, not retreat! We are to invade our
culture. We are to use our time, talent, and treasure to make a difference for the kingdom.
We must be bold. We must be empowered by the Spirit.
Are you consuming all of your resources? Are you giving in to the enticement of the
Chief Consumerlator? Put on God's armor and resist the temptations to fritter away God-
given resources. Face the enemy with all of God's power and focus on his purpose for
your life! Leave a legacy that will matter eternally.
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