Jesus’s Message on Simplicity
What does Jesus have to say on the topic of simplicity?
Verse of the Day
‘Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.’
Today’s Devotional
The discipline of simplicity is not all about money and possessions, though that is certainly a part of it. Richard Foster says that there is one passage of Scripture that is central to our understanding of what a simple life looks like.
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Foster further explains this concept:
- The central point of the discipline of simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness of his kingdom first and then everything necessary will come in its proper order.
- Everything hinges upon maintaining the “first” thing first. Nothing must come before the kingdom of God, including the desire for a simple lifestyle. Simplicity itself becomes idolatry when it takes precedence over seeking the kingdom.
- Focus upon the kingdom produces the inward reality, and without the inward reality we will degenerate into legalistic trivia. Nothing else can be central. The desire to get out of the rat race cannot be central, the redistribution of the world’s wealth cannot be central, the concern for ecology cannot be central. Seeking first God’s kingdom and the righteousness of that kingdom is the only thing that can be central in the spiritual discipline of simplicity.
- As Jesus made clear in our central passage, freedom from anxiety is one of the inward evidences of seeking first the kingdom of God. The inward reality of simplicity involves a life of joyful unconcern for possessions. It has nothing to do with the abundance of possessions or their lack. It is an inward spirit of trust.
Seeking God’s kingdom first. That’s how we achieve the simplicity of a life of faith. As I’ve been studying this, I asked myself, “What is God’s Kingdom and how do I seek it?” We will get to that in a few days. For now, let’s be people who crave spending time in the Word and in prayer. If we don’t yet crave those things, then let’s make a decision to DO them until we crave them.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How have you seen or experienced God taking care of you?
Do thoughts of money ever dominate your thoughts? If so, are you willing to confess that to God and ask for His help to change your perspective of money?
What does seeking God’s Kingdom look like for you? What do you wish it looked like?
What things have you sought before God’s Kingdom? How did that affect you?
How is your anxiety level? What does that tell you about your level of trust in God?
How can you seek God’s Kingdom today?