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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: We are a very materialistic society. It seems the more we get, the more we want. Our nation was blessed by freedom, and now some citizens want freedom to kill babies. Some citizens want the government to pay for their children’s education. Is this what God intended? — M.M.

Dear M.M.: The Bible teaches we cannot serve God and another god called materialism. We can serve God with material things if our heart is right toward God, but materialism should never be the focus of life.
Modern generations in many nations have grown accustomed to “things.” Children grow up expecting more and more and believe it comes easily. Instead of trusting in wealth, leisure, and things that please us, we should long for, and work for, things that please the Father in Heaven.
In our nation, we are proud of the slogan on our coins: “In God We Trust.” But it is rarely noticed. There’s little point in talking about corporate or national integrity regarding the issue of materialism if we don’t come to grips with it individually ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with having things, but when they become the focus of daily living, when we run after things and want to accumulate more, we are then mastered by them. For those who believe in God and claim to follow Him, He is Master and Lord and everything else becomes secondary.
If we allow our Christian faith to be adulterated with materialism, watered down by secularism, and intermingled with a bland humanism, we cannot stand up to a system that has vowed to bury us. Materialism may do what a foreign invader could never hope to achieve — rob a nation of its spiritual strength. “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)