Another excerpt

Remember the composite couple Brian and Kelly? Their goal as young people was to attend the right university, graduate, and find a job that paid well. Their goal as parents was to see that their children studied for an employable profession. They could see being grandparents one day, but only if their children were settled down and financially prepared. Here, too, money was the focus.
You might say to yourself, "Hey that's my focus too and what's wrong with it?" What's wrong is that the focus exists because of something other than God and his ways. It's a prison for the mind. At Leavenworth or San Quentin, cannabis or cigarettes are the prison currency. In the prison of the mind, it's money. Mary Pipher writes that, "we all suffer from existential flu as we search for meaning in a culture that values money, not meaning. Everyone I know wants to do good work. But right now we have an enormous gap between doing what's meaningful and doing what is reimbursed. Many citizens, including followers of Jesus, have done away with the gap altogether and have learned to say, "Show me the money." The money is the meaning...
...John Winthrop (1588-1649) defined success not as material wealth but as "the creation of a community in which genuinely ethical and spiritual life could be lived." Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), on the other hand, gave "classical expression to what many felt in the eighteenth century-and many have felt ever since-to be the most important thing about America: the chance for the individual to get ahead on his own initiative." This became known as utilitarian individualism. The idea being that if a society will allow each person the freedom to pursue his or her own interests, the social good will automatically emerge...Women, clergy, poets, and writers raised objections to a life lived in pursuit of material gain. People still raise objections today, but their voices are mice in a world of elephants.
One voice that is not small is the voice of Jesus...I tell you do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear(Matt 6:25)...You can not serve both God and things on earth. It's futile to have two ultimate goals or points of reference for your actions. You already recognize that one must become subordinate to the other (Matt 6:24)...many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. (Phi 3:18-20) Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs...but you, man of God, flee from this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses (1 Tim 6:6-12)...Don't put your hope in wealth, which is so uncertain but put your hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Be rich in good deeds, generous and willing to share (1 Tim 6:17-18)...While you work here on the earth, do not worry about things on earth. Instead seek the kingdom first and always first. When you get up in the morning think about the kingdom. From now on make it your top priority. Everything else you need will be provided (Matt 6:33)...Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you...Jesus came announcing a kingdom that must 'overturn all other agendas.' This includes our agendas regarding work, money, success, peace, and safety, and the goals we instill in our children." New Way To Be Human by Charlie Peacock pgs 167-171