Lately, the news has been inundated with the success of the newest Barbie movie. The box office is reporting record numbers because of people’s fascination with the toy. Sales of the toy have increased by 200% since the movie’s release. Adults and kids alike are in “love“ with the movie. Sadly, many have bought the lie of the world’s version of love.
- Happiness
- Self-centered
- Easy
I can remember the controversy when I was growing up about the superficial and materialistic image of Barbie in the 80s. Then Madonna even had a song about our “material“ world. But, today consumers “love“ it.
Another headline in the news is the re-emergence of the popular store Bed Bath and Beyond. Consumers “love” to have their favorite store back so they can purchase more.
Humanity is continuing to fall farther away from God’s original design for it. (Genesis 1:1-10). Somewhere our love went wrong!
Where Things Went Wrong
We’ve exchanged humility for the pride of this world. In the beginning, God created everything for man’s enjoyment. Then God placed man in the garden with only one rule. This left mankind with a choice, to love God or love this world and what it has to offer us.
Satan deceived man by offering him more than God intended. This is the basis for materialism; loving things and this world more than loving God. When we “love” things we devalue God and people.
Love can blind us just like pride. When we become focused on things, we don’t see people and what really matters to God. Happiness becomes our God.
Happiness
God created things for us to enjoy, not love. Unfortunately, due to our sinful nature, we can mistakenly “love” whatever makes us happy at the time; because the world equates happiness to love.
This is a hedonistic view, not a Christian perspective! When we find happiness in God, we will enjoy things, but not love them!
- Creation
- Freedom
- Vocations
- Health
- Money
- Sports
- Hobbies
- Travel
- Food
- Coffee
I often have friends tell me their “love” for these things I have mentioned above is just a “figure of speech”—I cringe.
This shows me they don’t take love seriously or they are just lying to themselves. They have fallen for the same lie as Adam and Eve did in the garden.
The Fall
In the Judeo-Christian faith, man is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Our purpose is to love God and do God’s will. We are image bearers of Him. However, Satan tricked us into wanting more.
In Judaism, sin is called Khata and it literally means, “To miss the goal.” Mankind’s desire for more causes us to miss God’s original goal for us. Adam wanted more of this world than he wanted to be with God— he wanted to be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5).
We must keep God on His throne and earthly things in their rightful place. When we fail to do this, evil is crouching at our door (Genesis 4:7), and sin will entrap us. When we place our hope and happiness in things we weren’t created to love, we sin. It is wrong to love things but we can:
- Like
- Value
- Enjoy
What God has made; loving things is wrong because materialism is wrong. The Apostles warned the early church to keep themselves free of loving earthly things (Colossians 3:2, 1 John 2:15-17).
Keeping a healthy perspective of ”love” is imperative because we are all fallen creatures. Surely Christians can see the deception of Barbie’s love!
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