I am called to live a simple life.

This is my most difficult value to live out.

I could take the easy way out and blame our consumeristic culture for my personal failures at pursuing a truly simple life.

But I know that the root of my greed and desire to accumulate more stuff comes from sin.

Deep rooted sin.

But I want to explore these roots…invite the Holy Spirit to search my heart.

Here are the words of Jesus:

“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15, ESV)

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25, ESV)

“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22, ESV)

These verses are just a fraction of the many similar sayings of Jesus. There is no way around it, Jesus doesn’t want his disciples to find their identity in possessions. He doesn’t want his disciples to worry and fret over such things, because such things destroy the spiritual life. We won’t produce fruit if we obsess over material “things”.

But I obsess over “things”.

I don’t want to share a ton of personal examples because I don’t want others to play the comparison game, but suffice to say, I crave more and more “things”.

Sometimes I even want to buy things when I am feeling blue, finding comfort from material objects.

The effect of such want is this:

I read the scriptures and immediately forget what I just read.

Or I go to church and can barely sing or listen to the sermon.

Or I commune with other believers and have trouble engaging in meaningful conversation.

Or I serve others, but my heart is somewhere else. Somewhere selfish and greedy… wishing I had my time to myself.

But this type of life is unacceptable to me. I am called to live a simple life. I really want to know God and produce much fruit, but this isn’t going to happen if I would rather have a new thing.

A thing that will break, or fall apart, or get lost.

So, this blog will serve as some accountability to this particular value. I hope, by the grace of God, stories will follow of how I sought first the Kingdom of God, and saw all of my needs provided.

And let’s talk about this.

How does God want to root out our sin of greed and covetousness? Our sin of materialism?

How can the simple life of a believer challenge our current cultural climate of consumerism?

And How can a simple life make ministry to the poor more meaningful?