Learn to enjoy things without owning them.Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.Principles for the outward expression of simplicity: So seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.Įxcerpts on simplicity from Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. Jesus Christ came to our world for one thing: "For us men and our salvation." Nothing deterred him. I went for one thing, but I got distracted by many things. I went to the store for sweet and condensed milk. In this climate, can we live with simple focus? Our lives are a complexity of possessions and gadgets, schedules and commitments, distractions and deterrents. Below you'll find some principles and questions that Foster lists in his book. So what do we do? How do we live the ancient discipline of simplicity? I recommend Foster's book for a survey of simplicity, among other spiritual disciplines. Why? We have more stuff than ever before. It’s a $38 billion a year industry that is growing rapidly. There are now 2.3 billion square feet of self storage rental space in our country. In my city, I have noticed a boom in the construction of self-storage units. What does this tell us? Our fore-bearers did just fine with a lot less. Have you ever noticed how small the closets are? New houses come standard with walk in closets, walk in pantries, basement storage rooms, and full sized garages. Think about houses that are 100 years old. Twenty-first century Americans are in desperate need of simplicity. So how is this reflected in an outward lifestyle? When someone looks at your outward life, what do they know about your inward reality? By the King's grace, you are new, forgiven, and free. In his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster defined the Christian discipline of simplicity as “an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle.” The inward reality is that God has claimed you for his Kingdom. Simplicity is the discipline of putting things in their place so that #40 doesn’t become #1. It just means they are #2 or #3 or #22 or #40. If we seek first the Kingdom of God, it doesn’t mean that other things don’t matter. "First" puts things in their proper order. You’re here for one thing, and everything else is secondary. Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. A biblical foundation for the discipline of simplicity is found in Matthew 6:25-33.
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