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Simplicity of Life
Jesus lived a life of simplicity that was free of the craving after riches and material possessions. He urged this lifestyle upon his followers. The rapacious greed, rampant materialism and wanton exercise of power of his day and ours has always resulted in wide disparities in wealth, in the oppression of whole segments of society, and the need to use military force to protect the vested material interests of the rich and powerful. Jesus knew this and urged a different lifestyle and a new community of people. Jesus did not simply provide a critique about the failings of the social systems he found around himself – he showed people an alternative way to live and be. At its best, the Christian community is just such a community of love, justice, mercy and compassion in the world. In the recorded portion of his public ministry, Jesus itinerated between towns, presumably staying in the homes of his supporters or sympathizers. “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58). |
The Spiritual Disciplines of Jesus |
Jesus’ teaching about worry and anxiety is based specifically in the practice of simplifying our lives through focusing upon the basic needs of each day, and to trust that those will be met:
The practice of simplifying and focusing our lives requires discipline, especially in our hyper-consumerist culture. But it can be achieved by carefully examining the priorities of our spending and investment patterns. What is truly necessary in order to have shelter, food and clothing? What medical needs are truly vital to our health? How many of these needs can we take care of ourselves? Are our choices dictated by what is necessary to support our lives or by a sense of craving induced by the psychological manipulations of consumerist advertising? Careful discernment of the differences between these two helps illuminate the path of simplicity.
- "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-20).
- “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. 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? 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 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? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:24-34)
The practice of simplifying and focusing our lives requires discipline, especially in our hyper-consumerist culture. But it can be achieved by carefully examining the priorities of our spending and investment patterns. What is truly necessary in order to have shelter, food and clothing? What medical needs are truly vital to our health? How many of these needs can we take care of ourselves? Are our choices dictated by what is necessary to support our lives or by a sense of craving induced by the psychological manipulations of consumerist advertising? Careful discernment of the differences between these two helps illuminate the path of simplicity.
Next Practice: Establish New Forms of Community.
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Click on the images below to read about JP21-BiggerMind; JP21-Bigger Heart; JP21-Bigger World; JP21-Bigger Life; JP21-Way of Ways.
