Worldly Influences

Influence of Comparison

Jonathan and Vivian thoroughly enjoyed spending August in the North Carolina mountains to get relief from hot Florida summers. They had inherited their modest mountain home from Vivian’s parents – a home filled with memories of her family vacationing there. As they started their car to visit some old college friends they hadn’t seen in years, they talked about God’s goodness in providing this second home. They were grateful. They were content.

Thirty minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of their friends. Jonathan’s curiosity about how his MBA classmate had fared was answered immediately. The lawn was manicured. The house and the furnishings were stunning. The view from the mountaintop was magnificent.

The drive home felt depressing. Gone was the gratitude they had experienced just a few hours before. They had become discontent.

What happened? How can our hearts transition so quickly from gratitude to discontentment? The answer – in a word – is comparison. Comparison typically changes the focus from enjoying what we have to obsessing over what we lack.

Comparison is a thief because it steals gratitude and contentment from us. Comparison is a killer because it can destroy a heart that is thankful to God for his provision and replace it with a heart that covets and becomes idolatrous.

“But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints . . . this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Ephesians 5:3, 5, emphasis added).

Influence of Advertising

Romans 12:2 begins with this command, “Do not be conformed to this world.” The Amplified version reads this way: “Do not be conformed to this world – this age, fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs.”

We live in one of the most affluent cultures the world has ever known. Day in and day out, night in and night out, we are bombarded with manipulative, highly effective advertising. The purpose of advertising is to motivate us to spend money. Ads usually stress the importance of image rather than function. For example, automobile ads rarely focus on a car as reliable transportation that is economical to operate. Instead, they project an image of status or sex appeal. Reflect on the claims of TV commercials. No matter what the product – clothing, deodorants, credit cards, cars, beverages, you name it – the underlying message insists that the “fulfilling, beautiful, wrinkle-free life” can be ours if we are willing to buy it.

We would be less than honest to deny the influence of this media onslaught on our attitudes and our lives. Author George Fooshee so aptly states, “People buy things they do not need to impress people they do not even like.”

None of us is immune to the lure of this message. From time to time we all get hooked on something we think we must buy – a new car, second home, airplane, the latest smartphone – you name it. Once hooked, it is very easy to rationalize a purchase of anything. When facing a major decision, seek the Lord’s guidance and the counsel of godly people who will help you ask the hard questions.

(excerpt taken from Charting Your Legacy, Howard Dayton, 2021)