Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned
against the Lord, the God of
Israel. Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200
silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so
much that I took them. Joshua 7:20-21 NLT
I was amazed by
what happened when a piece of bling went up for auction.
My wife loves
jewelry. Not expensive jewelry—although I’m sure she’d wear it if we could
afford it. But we’ve never been able to dress her in rubies and diamonds,
except for her wedding ring. She does, however, love bling. Not too much. Just
a little.
My wife has a friend who sells jewelry, with a little bling mixed in. They call it paparazzi
jewelry. Each piece, regardless of what it is, is only five dollars. Her
greatest sales come from her online auctions. One night a week, my wife sits in
the recliner and listens to her friend’s online party. Occasionally, my wife
has one at the house and helps her.
Bling sells
better than the other jewelry. I had to ask my wife to define bling. After
finding out, I listened as she and her friend sold it. Although the price never
changes, more of the bling sells. For some reason, the sparkling, dangling, and
extravagant attracts.
Achan liked
bling. The bling were things set apart for the Lord that God had instructed the
Israelites to destroy when they conquered Jericho. Achan chose to steal some bling
and hide it. His disobedience cost Israel victory at the next town they
attempted to conquer. The bling became bad.
Bling in and of
itself isn’t bad, although some think so. I remember when some denominations
forbade women to wear jewelry altogether and used a few Old and New Testament
verses to support their views. Many of these same folks now wear the bling and
reinterpret the verses.
Bling is
different for various people. Bling becomes bad when I forget God sees I have
put it before Him. Priorities. Decisions. Choices. When I choose things that
remove God from first place, I let the bling take over.
Bling is bad when
I think I need to have it instead of remembering God has promised to supply my
needs. Bling often involves wants, not needs. It’s the extra … the sparkly …
the enticing.
Bling also keeps
me from experiencing the maturity and spiritual growth that comes through the
times when I don’t have the bling. God rarely grows us much in the good times.
Ask God to help
you discern when the bling is becoming harmful in your life.
Prayer: Father,
we need Your wisdom to know when the bling has become bad.
Tweetable: Is bling taking over your life?
