- We should adopt the spirit of simplicity, which is to give away everything beyond the basic necessities of life.
- Simplicity beings primarily in the inner world of the believer.
- The discipline of simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle. However, both aspects are equally significant. An outward lifestyle without the inward reality leads to legalism. An inward reality without the outward lifestyle lacks authenticity.
- Simplicity must begin with a singluar inward focus, around which our lives are centred.
- Matthew 6:33. Through this single-mindedness, everything else finds clarity.
- Out of an uncluttered heart comes a life that is simple in spirit, speech and style.
- Such single-mindedness brings simplicity and steadfastness. The modern man, however, pursues a fractured and fragmented life. He is involved in popularity, office politics and power struggles.
- Even Christians can be caught in the systems of this world and may lose the art of simplicity. We get immersed in consumerism. As a result, we complicate our lifestyle and begin to grow attachment to things and possessions.
- When our life loses the beauty of simplicity, it will take on the tyranny of fragmentation.
- Before we can simplify our lifestyle, we must first declare war on materialism and covetousness. We must first decide resolutely to escape the temptation of mammon.
- Matthew 6:24
- Where mammon rules, our focus in life shifts from a heavenly to an earthly perspective.
- We need the discipline of stewardship in relation to wealth. The answer is not to reject wealth but to control its use. If we can control our money, then it will not control us.
- The key is to subject money to Christ. Our money can either work for the kingdom of God or against it.
- The answer to financial freedom is a lifestyle of simplicity and stewardship.
- The key is for us to learn to consume less so that we may have more to share with others.
7 Keys to Simplifying our Lifestyle
1. Buy for Utility Value Rather Than For Prestige
- Do not mistake "success symbols" for "success" itself.
- We can buy branded goods. However, be sure that what when we do so it is for the quality and not the status.
2. Develop the Habit of Giving Things Away
3. Beware of Modern Advertising
4. Stop Impulse Buying
- Do we really need what we buy?
5. Eat Sensitively and Sensibly
- Do not let food be a source of bondage for us.
- Isaiah 58:6-7
6. Enjoy Things Without Having to Own Them
- Do not feel the compulsion to own what others have.
- In this way, we can rejoice with others when they are blessed without feeling that God must grant us the same blessings.
7. Enjoy Nature and See God in It
There are two ways to get enough. One is to accumulate more; the other is to desire less. Let us resolve to live simply so that others can simply live.
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