Keep It Simple
What do you think of when you hear the word simplicity?
Maybe you are reminded of how your great-grandparents lived their lives. Or perhaps you dream of a time when technology wasn’t as prevalent as it is in our world today.
Simplicity is, simply put, keeping things simple!
When it comes to our discipleship walk with God, simplicity can be the breath of fresh air we need. It can also be a principle we look to as we surrender our lives to Him.
Richard Foster, the author of Celebration of Disciplines, says, “The Christian discipline of simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle.”
It is an internal conviction that lends itself to other people as it is manifested on the outside.
In simpler terms, what happens on the inside flows outward!
The Complexity of Our Lives
With system updates, new models, and anything we want right at our fingertips, it’s no wonder we are complex beings. In today’s society, we attach ourselves to our possessions, financial statuses, and others’ opinions and expectations of us.
We are constantly trying to keep up with the Joneses to have better, bigger, and newer things. And that is just not how God created us to be!
God’s word speaks clearly to possessions and the earthly gains we acquire in this life.
In Matthew 19:16-22, Jesus speaks to a rich, young ruler about how to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him that if he wants eternal life, he must sell everything he has and give the profits to the poor. The young ruler went away grieved because he had much wealth.
Simplicity focuses on God as we seek to be unified with Him in all things, including the complexity of what we are holding on to.
The Simplicity of the Heaven
Nowadays, we are often pulled in so many different directions that it ultimately pulls us away from God. And what happens when we are distracted and move our perspectives away from the Creator of our hearts?
1 Timothy 6:10, TPT says, “Loving money is a root of all evils. Some people run after it so much that they have given up their faith. Craving more money pushes them away from the faith into error, compounding misery in their lives.”
We must remain rooted in our adoration and focus on God. Obsessing over our things results in our wandering and inability to fulfill His purposes for our lives.
Seek God’s Kingdom First
Everything you have is a gift from God.
Did you get a promotion at work? That was from God!
Do you have a comfortable home that is great for hosting others? Yep, that is God’s provision.
Are you getting from point A to point B in a vehicle that runs well? You guessed it! – that is from God as well.
Matthew 6:25-34 is a wealth of knowledge regarding what we need, what we desire, and how God provides. This passage also speaks greatly to how we should apply the discipline of simplicity.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33, NKJV
When you seek God and His word, you seek after His righteousness. And as a result, all material things needed to live will be added unto you.
Spiritual Discipline of Simplicity
In Celebration of Discipline, Foster shares three inward realities of discipline that we should adopt.
1. Realize Everything You Have is a Gift From God
Every single thing you have acquired is a gift from God. The moment you begin to partner with your own abilities, especially in your finances, resources, and talents, the more you will begin to partner with pride.
Remember, God is the giver of everything we need!
2. Share What You Have With Others
During a season of our family’s life, we had a house with five bedrooms. However, my children still ended up co-sleeping. This was because we felt we were to share what we had with others.
In that season of our lives, we housed foreign-exchange students, who quickly became one of us. And the loving commotion that went on in our kitchen daily was a testament to how God, directly and indirectly, provides for His children!
Take what you have been given and bless others.
3. Trust God to Give You What You Need
God is the giver of everything you have, and as you partner with Him in the stewardship of those resources, trust that He will give you everything you need to care for them.
We have been given the grace to follow Him and not worry about what we will eat, wear, or have. Because as we lean into His will, we have the assurance that He will take care of us!
Dear one, let us be Children of God who display simplicity in our lives and extravagance in our worship.
Let us pursue the simplicity of Christ in our own lives.