Simplicity
Today, Pastors Henry & Amy talked about the spiritual discipline of simplicity and what it means to practice this. We read Matthew 6:25-34:25. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?
28. "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31. So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
32. For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Christian simplicity is more than just living with less. We need to learn to live without worry which distracts our minds from God. Simplicity starts with our hearts where we put our possessions in their proper perspective. Richard Foster in his book on Christian disciplines suggests 3 ways to put our possessions in perspective:
1. Trust God to care for the things He has given you.
2. Receive what you have as a gift from God.
3. Allow the things you own to be available to others.
Outward simplicity starts on the inside. Where is your heart focused today?
Labels: journey
posted by Jewels @ 1:58 PM
1 Comments:
Simplicity for a Christian means taking out the clutter in our lives so we can focus on Jesus first, then in obedience to him and in a desire to love our neigbors it opens up time and resources to help others.
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