Im confused.
We all have to make a living for ourselves to eat, clothes, shelter ect....So we have to work
How much money are you supposed to try and make? There is not a set dollar amount we are supposed to
try to make. Not everyone can handle wealth. God knows we use money as a tool to get the things we need to survive as well as for things we simply enjoy and he is more than fine with that. The problem comes when we love money and make it or the acquisition of it an idol God. We cannot get so wrapped up in making money until we do things like neglect personal time w/ God or family. Ignore ppl all around us who have needs we can meet. Stop attending church regularly b/c we lived beyond our means or we borrowed money to get that degree (which costs more than our salary from the job itself
) and are in so much debt until we have to work longer hours and are out of balance in our lives etc. We should not
try to do so. Trying in this sense often leads to leaning on your own understanding (abilities and reasoning from a human and therefore flawed/ limited standpoint).
How much are you allowed to express your personal style/desires with what clothes you want to wear, how you want to eat, the house you live in etc? I'd say a lot! But like anything else a person should pray and ask for guidance in these areas too. God does care about the clothes we wear, how our homes look, and he didn't make us all alike on purpose so individuality is encouraged by him. He does want to be included in all areas. He does know and want what we would/should want for ourselves if we only were smart enough to ask for it. For the Christian, our bodies do not belong to ourselves but were bought with a price. Sometimes that can be a bitter pill to swallow
. We are supposed to constantly changing into Christ’s image. That’s why we don’t put everything on display just cause we got ‘it’ or under some false sense of liberation. The food we eat should be enjoyed but in moderation like anything else. That’s why we have taste buds. God is a god of decency and order. We should be a ppl of decency and order. A lack of control in any area is a sign of immaturity. Mature ppl know how to delay gratification.
How successful are you supposed to aim to be in this world? I guess that depends on who you are trying to please and how you define success (which will be influenced by who you are trying to please). My personal answer to that question has evolved over time. The ppl who influenced me in my 20s don't carry that same weight now.
Are we supposed to have a personal style/taste, or way we want to live or look? Yes, God could have made us all the same but he did not. He did that on purpose. It gives us a glimpse of his creativity among other things. He gives us the desires of our hearts. He places those desires there. If we commune with him and allow him to he refines them. Improves and perfects them. If we do not commune we go wild. Hearts are broken. Lives are destroyed and worse we make excuses and seek approval from the unwise causing the cycle to perpetuate from generation to generation.
ETA- I Guess I’m asking-
How does God want us to live in the world? He wants us to live peaceably as much as possible. To have our priorities in order with him 1st. To learn what it really means to love him totally and to walk in love with others. To seek him first b/c when we do so all of the things you have asked about will be shown to us what and how and how much etc by him. To be in this world fully aware of the goings on and system but not of it since it is really jacked up and on an eventual course of destruction. We ought to prosper and be in good health even as our souls do the same. After we have taken care of our families, church matters, etc, we should use the extra to cheerfully help others.
Think about those things in the sense of how they reflect on Jesus. Are they honoring him? Are others able to see his greatness and goodness through them? When you love somebody, you are concerned with their well being first and foremost.
