Simplicity - the Key to Greater Joy
Good Sense Ministry Newsletter has a great section on simplicity stating that once we have begun to cultivate the inner reality of simplicity, what might our outer reality look like? Foster offers 10 principles.
Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.
Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
Develop a habit of giving things away.
Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.
Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation.
Look with a healthy skepticism at all “buy now, pay later” schemes.
Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech.
Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others.
Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the kingdom of God.
In our materialistic, over-marketing-messaged world, simplicity isn’t, well, so simple. But as Richard Foster points out, it begins on the inside with the attitudes of our heart and mind. And those are cultivated through prayer and meditation on the truth of God’s Word. Some good places to start include Luke 12:15-21, Luke 12:33-34, Luke 6:30, and Philippians 4:12-13.
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