Jesus' car

My wife and I went to a youth ministry conference a couple months ago. One of the speakers asked the questions "if Jesus were here today, what kind of car would he drive?". Jesus spent all of his time giving to others, he wasn't a wealthy guy, and he taught that we should give and share what we have with others. Could you see Jesus driving an Audi or an Infinity? Or really, any new car for that matter? I'm not sure.

Recently my wife and I were looking to trade-in our current family-mobile which we have outgrown for a larger car. We decided that this time we wanted to get a car with everything we always wanted in it. In the past we would settle for a car that didn't have all the options we really wanted to save a couple bucks in our monthly payment, but we would always regret it in some way. We figured with this new car, if we're going to pay every month on this car till were 80 years old anyway, and this car we really want with all the options will only cost a minimal amount extra per month, why not get this one we really want this time? This lead us to a car we could not realistically afford, and one that had more gadgets and sweet technology then we would ever need... but we wanted it so bad. Even still today we want this car, even after rationalizing it and realizing it would be a financial avalanche for us to purchase it, we still want it - really really bad. 

I wonder what Jesus really thinks about how we spend our money, or the cars we drive, the amount of money we spend on eating out, on Starbucks, or on another pair of pants we don't need, but only want because they'd go great with that new scarf. Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, and follow him. I read this and think, "man, some rich people just have so much and couldn't live without it, I'm glad I'm not like that. But realistically, compared to the world as a whole, if you live in America you are rich. For most of us who are reading this, we're some of the richest people in the world.

I wonder how easy it would be for us to give up everything we have? Our comfy pillow top mattress's, our down pillows, our TV programs, our cushy heated seats in our GPS driven cars. I think many of us would find that it would be tougher then we'd like to think. Am I a rich young ruler? Are we Americans rich young rulers? To much of the world we are. Do we have more then we really need? Are we giving to others as much as we can? The rich young ruler didn't make out so well, are we really that much different? 

It's something that God has been showing me lately; how much I really have, how much I really need, and how attached I really am to my stuff. Even as I write this, my HD TV is playing a classic Fred Astair film, my beautiful mac LED backlit screen is lighting the way as I listen to Sondre Lerche through my headphones that cost more then my parents first car must have and I'm a poor youth pastor! I love my mac, I love my TV and my phone, but I'm more attached to them then I think I've ever realized, and more then I'd like to admit.

Jesus had nothing, he gave everything away down to his own life. As I sit here I think about kids around the world who have gone to bed tonight hungry while I sit here a bit sick in the stomach from to much dinner. There are people out in the freezing cold tonight while my legs are burning up under our heating blanket. I'm not saying these things are bad, I am saying however that as Americans we often have so much stuff, and spend so much on more and more when in the scheme of things - why? If Jesus were to be next to us in his physical body as we shopped for another pair of shoes we don't need, or bought another Grande Iced non fat white Mocha at 165 from the Starbucks that sits in front of that homeless guy, would we feel OK about it? Would Jesus be right there with us doing the same thing?

Jesus said not to store up for ourselves treasure in this world, but rather in Heaven. I look at my treasure here now, and wonder if the money I've spent on them could have been used for something more eternal, something that could have made an eternal impact instead of making my life more comfortable. It's again not that God is against that you buying that new 72 inch LCD, but, well I'm not sure Jesus himself would have the same one. It just is making me more and more sick with myself, and my lifestyle. This is maybe just a late night rant, but it's something that God is making me more and more aware of.