As I write this post, in the past ten trading days the U.S. stock market has stumbled and tumbled; we wonder what the impact of tariffs will be, and the interest alone on our national debt which is at 36 trillion dollars and rising now exceeds annual defense spending.  Articles I have perused by various financial and political pundits seem to point to a lower standard of living. It’s more than a bit stressful if you spend much time listening to the so-called experts.

Yes, I get it. We are reeling and dealing with the impact of high inflation the past two years. High mortgage rates, combined with rising home prices have shut buyers out of the market. Rent is high, food prices have skyrocketed, and eggs are now at .50 cents apiece. So, the question I pose to you is “How’s your standard of living?”  You might be thinking, Ralf, you just painted a pretty gloomy economic picture, and you ask how’s our standard of living?  You just answered that question. Of course, our standard of living has gone down, don’t rub salt in the wound.

I guess my real question is how do you define “standard of living”?  In a world where 1 in 4 don’t have access to clean drinking water, that’s over 2 billion, 1 in 11 lack sufficient food and nutrients, 2.8 billion can’t afford a healthy diet, and 1.6 billion lack adequate shelter; if you have food, clean water, clothing and a roof over your head – you’re doing pretty well. Your standard of living on the surface is pretty high.

But what about your mental, emotional, and spiritual standard of living? Anxiety, addictions, depression, stress, the spiritual void and lack of meaning or sense of purpose plagues billions. Three billion 40% of the world’s population have no access to the Gospel or have even heard the name of Jesus.

Let’s take another look and how we measure our standard of living.  Instead of our standard of living let’s look at the “source of living.” In the book of John, Jesus says, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. And later He says, I came that they have life and have it abundantly. Clearly, when Jesus spoke these words, He wasn’t talking about a materialistic mindset to measure our standard or source of living.  

If your significance, satisfaction, security, and sustenance in life, comes from the amount of money in your bank or retirement accounts, or the things you possess, your standard of living will always fluctuate up or down based on economic indicators. However, if you rely on Jesus for those things, you’ll experience the highest standard of living possible, and no financial downturn or .50 cent eggs will bring it down.

In the past month, my wife and I have had to replace our entire air conditioning and heating system – it was 25 years old. (First world problem.) How many don’t have heating or a/c? In addition, we had to spend 2000 dollars in repairs for my wife’s car. Last night I had to drop of my car a 1998 Honda civic by the mechanic because of a massive oil leak. (Oh yeah, I have two cars not just one. Having two vehicles feels like a luxury not a need.) About three hours ago I learned the repair costs for it would be around 1700 hundred dollars. Uggh!

If I look at what I’ve spent in the last month from a purely financial basis I would conclude my standard of living went down. Yes, we took a financial hit. But as long as I look to Jesus for my significance, security, satisfaction, and the one who sustains us, my standard of living is exceedingly high.

Tonight, my wife and I are going to file our taxes. Yipee! I expect we will not get a refund and will have to pay. – Very thankful for a job to even have to pay taxes. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s (Our lives as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship,)

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