Less is More!

Living with less has seen a recent surge in popularity especially during this economic downturn, recession, depression or whatever you want to call it. The basic premise for most minimalists is that you can live with a much smaller collection of stuff and still be completely content and probably live even more fulfilled than the guy with all the toys. Click here to check out a recent video report from CBS news on minimalism called "100 Items or Less"

So, you determine the smallest number of items that you need to live your life. What is the bear minimum that you need to survive and still maintain a "reasonable" standard of living? My good friend Zack Woolwine writes a blog called One Backpack. You can check it out here. He makes some very good points and covers some of the fundamentals of "living life simply".

Different ideas and philosophies drive this downsizing gone wild. Some want to lower their carbon foot print. Others want to wipe out poverty and some are just trying to prove that they can do "it" and then they have bragging rights at the local watering hole. For me it is all about using the resources that I have been given, in a way that will bring God glory. In other words, I am willing to sacrifice my stuff, in a major way, so that others can be helped, in a major way! And according to the Bible, God is happy when I (you should include yourself here) live a self-sacrificing lifestyle.

Now I want you to think about how living simply lines up with the Bible. Jesus said that his followers would "love God with all of their heart" and that they would "love their neighbors as themselves". You may be wondering "What does this have to do with all of my material possessions?" Consider...as I follow Christ, God will be be the most important thing to me. I will love Him with all of my heart and secondly, I will love my neighbor as myself. If I love God I will obey what He has given me in His word, including helping the poor, the fatherless and widows (we'll look at this more in another post). I will also take a close look at how I treat myself (which is pretty dang good) and then I must apply that treatment to those around me.

Living It: It's winter here in Ohio and I like to be warm...so, I bought myself a couple of sweaters and a pullover micro-fleece at New-2-You (an awesome second hand clothing store here in Mason). If I am really a follower of Jesus then I will meet my "neighbor's" need in this area as well. And today we (my family and I) had the opportunity to do just that when God brought someone into our lives that was homeless and without a coat.

Now that is not radical Christianity but it is the type of Christianity that the world is looking for in you and I today. As Leonard Ravenhill once said, "This world doesn't need a new definition of Christianity...they need a new demonstration of Christianity."

Let us demonstrate our love for the world by our willingness to live with less.