Week 5 - Simplicity Thoughts - By Mandi

Discussion Questions:

What does simplicity look like as an outward discipline? What does it look like as an inward discipline? Can you have one without the other? What do our lives/hearts look like when we don’t practice simplicity?

“The Christian discipline of simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward life-style. Both the inward and the outward aspects of simplicity are essential” (Foster, 79).

Inward Simplicity: (Foster, 79-85)

• Gives freedom and liberation
• Brings joy and balance
• Finds security in Christ alone
• “Sets possessions in proper perspective” (Foster, 84)
• “Sets us free to receive the provision of God as a gift that is not ours to keep and can be freely shared with others” (Foster, 85)
• Lives out of “The Divine Center”

Outward Simplicity: (Foster, 90-93)

• Buys things for usefulness rather than status
• Rejects anything that is producing an addiction in us
• Develops a habit of giving things away
• Refuses to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry
• Learns to enjoy things without owning them
• Develops a deeper appreciation for God’s creation
• Obeys Jesus’ instruction about plain honest speech; “Letting our ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and ‘no’ be ‘no’
• Lives out of “The Divine Center"

How does God become our Divine Center?

Simplicity is not just doing without, or giving away our money/possessions to the poor; simplicity is about living out “The Divine Center.”

Living out The Divine Center can only be done by seeking FIRST the Kingdom of God (Matt 6:33).

“Everything hinges upon maintaining the “first” thing as first. Nothing must come before the Kingdom of God, including the desire for a simple life-style” (Foster, 86).

“The person who does not seek the Kingdom first does not seek it at all” (Foster, 87).

How do we seek God’s Kingdom first and foremost?

“Become nothing before God, learn to keep silent; in this silence is the beginning, which is, first to seek God’s Kingdom” (Foster, 87)

The evidences of seeking Gods Kingdom first are:

• Joyful unconcern for possessions
• An inward spirit of trust
• Freedom from anxiety

Simplicity According to the Scriptures:

• Matthew 6: 19-34
• Hebrews 13:5-6
• Philippians 4:4-7; 11-13

Practical Application:

• Get rid of duplicate items you own
• Clean out your house and get rid of items you haven’t used in 3-6 months
• Be mindful of impulse spending ; evaluate whether your heart is centered on the Divine or on filling a void
• Meditate on the scripture (Matt 6:19-34) when feeling anxious
• Leave the house without carrying money or a credit card; have a day without spending any money
• Go without a vehicle/electricity/technology/etc for a time; live more freely
• Take a camping trip and bring minimal stuff with you
• Add your own:

“May God give you-and me-the courage, the wisdom, the strength always to hold the kingdom of God as the number one priority of our lives. To do so is to live in simplicity” (Foster, 95).

Next week... Leisha shares on Solitude