Alan Nichols: Christian Simplicity

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But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1 Timothy 6:8

“While some of us have been called to live among the poor, and others to open our homes to the needy, all of us are determined to develop a simpler lifestyle. We intend to reexamine our income and expenditure in order to manage on less and give away more. We lay down no rules or regulations, for either ourselves or others. Yet we resolve to renounce waste and oppose extravagance in personal living, clothing and housing, travel and church buildings. We also accept the distinction between necessities and luxuries, creative hobbies and empty status symbols, modesty and vanity, occasional celebrations and normal routine, and between the service of God and slavery to fashion. Where to draw the line requires conscientious thought and decision by us, together with members of our family. Those of us who belong to the West need the help of our Third World brothers and sisters in evaluating our standards of spending. Those of us who live in the Third World acknowledge that we too are exposed to the temptation to covetousness. So we need each other’s understanding, encouragement and prayers.”

Alan Nichols in “An Evangelical Commitment to Simple Lifestyle” (Lausanne Occasional Paper 20).

To live with Christian simplicity requires us to do three things. Firstly, as Nichols notes, we must “reexamine our income and expenditure in order to manage on less and give away more.” As God blesses us, it’s easy to just spend more, and more, and more.

To reexamine our financial situation, we must keep track and then review it periodically. Sadly, we live in a time when few are keeping track. So here we must resolve to have a spending plan. That way we can actually see the revenues and the expenses.

Secondly, we must “renounce waste and oppose extravagance in personal living, clothing and housing, travel and church buildings.” This is where people need to see and hear our faith and generosity in action. This requires us to say “no” to waste and extravagance.

Once we are keeping track, then our faith can inform our decisions and position us to renounce waste and extravagance. Our decisions are not impulsive but informed by real numbers. We are prepared to give an account in real-time of our use of God’s resources.

Thirdly, we can benefit by re-evaluating “our standards of spending.” The money in the spending plan is not mine, but always God’s money. The more I travel and see so many who live on so little, it drives me to deeper levels of simplicity. Care to join me on the journey?

Keep track of your spending. Make conscious decisions to say “no” to waste and extravagance so you can say “yes” to generosity that brings glory to God. And let the Third World teach you that you really don’t need all the things the First World says you need.