Simplicity Devo

June 19th, 2016

Devotional

“Simple Spirituality: Simplicity”  - Proverbs 11: 28, Luke 16:13, and 2 Cor 8:9

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Monday: “Needs” - 2 Cor 8:14

Sometimes it is hard to think about the needs of others. Other times the needs of the world and those around us seem so overwhelming that we can’t move. Since college, I have been sponsoring children through Compassion International. Once in a while, I will receive information about where my sponsor children live - statistics and pictures and descriptions of average living conditions. It can be heartbreaking, and make me wonder how much of an impact I’m really making sponsoring one child from one country.

The apostle Paul is encourage the people in the church of Corinth to be generous in today’s scripture passage. He doesn’t command their generosity, but instead to prompt them to continue to reach out to those around them in need, including those that they started to sponsor the previous year. He reminds them, that at this time in their lives, they have abundance, so they should give out of that, for they may some day be on the receiving end of those that need help.

Living into simple spirituality, especially in terms of simplicity, asks that we make margins in our lives where we can give out of our abundance. Make space in our lives to feel the needs of others and respond instead of becoming overwhelmed. In the words of Ghandi, “living simply so that others may simply live.”

What does living simply mean for you?

How do you create space in your life so you can be generous?

How do you respond to the needs of others without becoming overwhelmed?

Prayer: Lord, sometimes the needs around us seem so great that we become stuck. We cannot give because we are concerned that it will not make a difference, will not be enough. Inspire us, like the Corinthians, to not be afraid to give, not be afraid to respond and meet the needs of others. Use whatever we have to offer to touch the lives of others and share your love. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Good Shepherd” - John 10: 11-18

Many Christians find comfort in the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Perhaps because of the popular painting of Jesus holding a small lamb. Perhaps because the idea of protection that comes from a Shepherd. For me, the image of the Good Shepherd speaks of God providing for us, tenderly caring after our needs.

When I was studying in Australia, one of the classes I took was about Australian culture. For this particular class we traveled all sorts of places in the state we were staying - including a sheep farm. One of the things that struck me about sheep is that they didn’t seem to know what was best for them. They would wander where they shouldn’t be - putting themselves in danger. They didn’t like to be sheered - even though it allowed them to move more nimbly and find relief from the heat. They needed a Shepherd to care after their every need in order to survive.

Such care is true for us as well. Living simply reminds us that all we have is from God’s hand alone. It reminds us that we are blessed with breath and life because of God. Simplicity brings us back to the root of our faith - that God is the Good Shepherd. 

How do you remind yourself that all you have is because of God?

What does the image of the Good Shepherd mean in your spiritual journey?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that sometimes we forget that we are blessed with what we have because of you. Sometimes we act like we have earned whatever we have or as if we have provided for ourselves. Forgive us, O Lord. Draw us back to the way that leads to life abundant. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Rich or Righteous” - Proverbs 11:28

When I was younger, I had a problem with necklaces. The problem was that  I had a gift for getting them tangled in lots of knots. Knots that my parents would often spend countless hours trying to workout with the aid of toothpicks at our kitchen table. For as soon as one knot was freed, it seemed like another would quickly appear. 

So it is with many of our lives. As soon as we start to untangle ourselves, seeking simplicity in one area of our lives, we find just how much we are bound up in other. Perhaps as you loosen your attachment to items you realize just how much your heart is tied up in the concepts of owning or having. Or maybe as you seek to free your schedule, you realize just how much time you spend not with family or friends, but doing things that don’t really matter in the end, wasting time. Or maybe as you seek to eat more simple food, you realize just how much you overindulge, not just in eating, but in speaking or entertainment. Our lives are complicated and the discipline of simplicity asks us to confront that complication directly instead of using it as an excuse, thus freeing us to be generous. Hence, our need for the wisdom of Proverbs to learn to trust God through simplicity and dependance instead of trusting in the ways of the world. 

What do you trust in - God or riches? How does your life reflect this trust?

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we get things all tangled up inside. We misplace our priorities or look to the ways for the world to define us. Free us, O Lord. Allow us to be like the righteous who flourish like green leaves. May the roots of our faith run deep. Amen. 

Thursday: “Who is Your Master?” - Luke 16:13

In the verse from the gospel of Luke today we find Jesus telling his disciples that you cannot serve two masters. He is speaking about the danger of serving money instead of God, but really in today’s world we serve oh so many masters. To figure out just who you serve, look at your checkbook and your calendar. Or think about the very personal question of “what do you squander?”. Many of us like to keep up the facade of serving God only, but when we get to the heart of the matter, we see that our stewardship of time, talents, money, and resources often disappear in favor of self-promotion. We squander what we have been blessed with so that we make sure that we have enough, in the meantime setting aside more money for retirement than we could ever need or buying food in excess so that it goes to waste. 

Of course, we didn’t start out our spiritual journey wanting to serve two or more or many masters. We started out wanting to serve Christ. But somewhere, often around the middle of our spiritual pilgrimage, we stop living for Christ and more persistently live for what the world has defined as success. We feel like we love God, but when actually start to examine our daily lives, we don’t find a whole lot of places where we have left room for God to be present and in control. We find our time and treasurers tied up in work, not because we believe that God has given us work and purpose, but so that we can earn more to spend more, never really having time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life that God is trying to bless us with.

How do you know what Master you serve with your life?

What do you sometimes squander? How can you bring these areas before God’s control?

Prayer: O God, raise us up in our faith to serve you and you alone. Examine in our hearts and reveal to us any hidden areas we may keep from you, areas where we may slip into the lordship of another, and let us present them to you. For you alone are our one true God. Amen.

Friday: “For Our Sake” - 2 Cor 8:9

The enemy to simplicity is envy. When we start to look around, comparing ourselves to others, we find ourselves wishing that we had more opportunities like that person or more money like our neighbor. Envy blocks us from having gratitude for what we have. When we have envy in our hearts, we become anxious in our spirits, and let that envy and anxiety dictate our behaviors instead of God’s desires for us. 

Another enemy to the simple life is not having people around us who champion or encourage simplicity. All too often we are bombarded by ads that tell us that we need to have more, be more, and do more. When we have the right people around us, they can remind us just how foolish of a life that type of attitude is setting us up for. Instead, they can remind us of our need to let go in order to live an un-abandoned life for God. 

How can 2 Cor 8:9 help combat the envy you may feel?

How can 2 Cor 8:9 help create a spirit of generosity within you?

Prayer: God, you sent Jesus Christ to us to save us. Jesus choose to set us free from a life of salary to the world and our sin. Free us now to be generous and share that message of love and grace with the world. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

Pray over next week’s text and sermon: “Simple Spirituality: Submission - 1 Peter 2:18 and Phil 2:8”

Family Activity: What would it look like to make your family calendar simpler? Or clean out a room in your house together? What do such changes teach us about our spiritual lives?