The Kingdom vs. The American Dream

In this life, we are inundated with things that seek to distract us from the Lord and take our affections...there is no denying this. But what is at the heart of this issue? The fact is, each day is a daily struggle to not be torn between this world and our Lord. Afterall, we cannot serve two masters. John Piper answered this question succinctly and accurately on his site yesterday.

What's the difference between living for the Kingdom and living for the American dream?
The essential difference is, What are you trying to make much of? Do you want to make much of Christ in the world, or do you want to make much of yourself, your business, or your family? What are you passionate about seeing exalted, praised and enjoyed?
I want to put that central because if we don't ask the question day by day–What am I going to make much of today?–then we will gravitate towards making much of the same things that everybody around us is making much of, like sports teams, food, or a new computer program. None of these things are sin unless they become the thing that we're driven by.
The difference between a Kingdom mindset and a worldly mindset is the King. What place does the King have? Is he central in our affections, our vocabulary, and in what we want to see happen at work, church, and in our leisure?

Piper suggests this is a constant bending of our wills to His. We cannot do this on our own, for we are far too depraved to do anything good like that! But through His grace and how He ministers' to His chosen through Scripture and our prayer life, we are better able to central our affections upon whom they belong... Christ.

Kate