The Bible says to love God with all of your heart. If you love the world and its stuff, you don’t love God with all your heart, only part of it. My Dad told stories about gas rationing during the Second World War. You got a punch card, and when you used up your allotment of gas for the month, you couldn’t buy any more. We have a measure of spiritual love in our hearts, and if we use it up on money, cars, boats, etc, we won’t have much left for God. It is like having two wives; it doesn’t work.

The trick is to own cars and houses and not love them. You have to guard your own heart well. The trick also, is to see people around you who have more than you do and not envy what they have. If you find yourself loving money and the stuff you can buy with it, give some away. Learn to be content by telling God thank you for what you have. Gratefulness and generosity are the primary vaccinations against worldliness.