Meditations

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Isaiah 55:2

Fourth, refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry. Timesaving devices almost never save time. Beware of the promise, “It will pay for itself in six months.” Most gadgets are built to break down and wear out and so complicate our lives rather than enhance them.

This problem is a plague in the toy industry. Children do not need to be entertained by dolls that cry, eat, wet, sweat, and spit. An old rag doll can be more enjoyable and more lasting. Often children find more joy in playing with old pots and pans than with the latest space set. Look for toys that are educational and durable. Make some yourself.

Usually gadgets are an unnecessary drain on the energy resources of the world, The United States has less than six percent of the world’s population, but consumes about thirty-three percent of the world’s energy. Air conditioners in the United States alone use the same amount of energy as does the entire country of China. Environmental responsibility alone should keep us from buying the majority of the gadgets produced today.

Propagandists try to convince us that because the newest model of this or that has a new feature (trinket?), we must sell the old one and buy the new one. Sewing machines have new stitches, stereos have new buttons, cars have new designs. Such media dogma needs to be carefully scrutinized. Often “new” features seduce us into buying what we do not need. Probably that refrigerator will serve us quite well for the rest of our lives even without the fancy exterior.”

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 92-93.

The prophet Isaiah makes an invitation to all who thirst to come to God and get that which satisfies. Simultaneously, he wants hearers to avoid spending on stuff that will not satisfy.

The key is to watch out what voices we listen to, especially the propaganda or agenda of the marketers.

Hear me as I spend a weekend with a blessed bloke in sales. There are good things out there that serve us well and spending on them makes sense for us and our families.

I loved Foster’s toy illustration. Imagine reading it in my shoes. I have two granddaughters. They passed 3 years old and 1 year old back in April. When we are together, they love carrying around a baby doll.

And for my American readers, the need for power for everything coupled with a sensitivity to the impact of our lives on the environment led us to get solar panels and an electric car.

Remarkably and providentially, we got a used AWD electric car only 4,000 miles for half price but that’s another story for another day. My point is not to tell you to get an electric car.

My point today aims at raising your awareness to propaganda.

And if these ten posts (that’s right, six more coming) from Foster seem to go from “preaching to meddling” as they say here in the south, well then perhaps just pause. Ask God to guide your response by the Holy Spirit.

The less we listen to propaganda and the more we spend money on things that satisfy, the more margin we have in our lives to live, give, serve, and love generously.

Leaning into that with God today. With you.

And if you are in South Carolina, come hear me preach tomorrow at The Abbey (pictured above at 46 Gathering Lane, Pawleys Island) from 10:30am to 12noon and then we have food and speaking again with Jenni from 5pm to 7pm.

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling His disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

Third, develop a habit of giving things away. If you find that you are becoming attached to some possession, consider giving it to someone who needs it. I still remember the Christmas I decided that rather than buying or even making an item, I would give away something that meant a lot to me. My motive was selfish: I wanted to know the liberation that comes from even this simple act of voluntary poverty. The gift was a tenspeed bike. As I went to the person’s home to deliver the present, I remember singing with new meaning the worship chorus, “Freely, freely you have received; freely, freely give.” When my son Nathan was six years old he heard of a classmate who needed a lunch pail and asked me if he could give him his own lunch pail. Hallelujah! De-accumulate! Masses of things that are not needed complicate life. They must be sorted and stored and dusted and re-sorted and re-stored ad nauseam. Most of us could get rid of half our possessions without any serious sacrifice.

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 91-92.

Imagine if God’s people adopted the trajectory of voluntary poverty. It’s the only kind of giving celebrated by Jesus but not popular by any means. Why not? Think about it.

Things promise us a better life and, in reality, they only complicate it as we amass them.

What if your son wanted to give away his lunch pail. What would you say? Our son said something like this to us and we noticed our first reaction was to stop the radical giving. We didn’t but that was our reaction.

Giving out of voluntary poverty is the richest kind of giving because it demonstrates complete trust in God.

What can you give away this week? As you do, tell yourself this this widely quoted saying, “Do your giving while you’re living so you are knowing where it is going.

The resources in your stewardship have been entrusted to you. My best advice: voluntary poverty. Give them away.

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 1 Corinthians 10:23

Second, reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. Learn to distinguish between a real psychological need, like cheerful surroundings, and an addiction. Eliminate or cut down on the use of addictive, non-nutritional drinks: alcohol, coffee, tea, Coca-Cola, and so on. Chocolate has become a serious addiction for many people. If you have become addicted to television, by all means sell your set or give it away. Any of the media that you find you cannot do without, get rid of: radios, stereos, magazines, videos, newspapers, books. If money has a grip on your heart, give some away and feel the inner release. Simplicity is freedom, not slavery. Refuse to be a slave to anything but God.

Remember, an addiction, by its very nature, is something that is beyond your control. Resolves of the will alone are useless in defeating a true addiction, You cannot just decide to be free of it. But you can decide to open this corner of your life to the forgiving grace and healing power of God. You can decide to allow loving friends who know the ways of prayer to stand with you. You can decide to live simply one day at a time in quiet dependence upon God’s intervention.

How do you discern an addiction? Very simply, you watch for undisciplined compulsions. A student friend told me about one morning when he went out to get his newspaper and found it missing. He panicked, wondering how he could possibly start the day without the newspaper. Then he noticed a morning paper in his neighbor’s yard, and he began to plot how he could sneak over and steal it. Immediately he realized that he was dealing with a genuine addiction. He rushed inside and called the newspaper office to cancel his subscription.

The receptionist, obviously filling out a form, asked courteously, “Why are you canceling your subscription to the newspaper?” My friend blurted out, “Because I’m addicted!” Undaunted, the receptionist replied, “Would you like to cancel your entire subscription or would you like to keep the Sunday edition?” to which he exclaimed, “No, I’m going cold turkey!” Now, obviously not everyone should cancel their subscription to the newspaper, but for this young man it was an important act.”

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 90-91.

I smiled when I read this because many readers don’t even remember things like newspapers, remnants of the ancient world in which I grew up. When you read that, just think Instagram, Facebook, or similar modern addictions.

In the second of ten practical recommendations from Foster, we see keen advice. “How do you discern an addiction? Very simply, you watch for undisciplined compulsions.” Knowing what to watch for helps us avoid slavery.

In writing God’s people in Corinth, the Apostle Paul stated clearly that while many things were acceptable or while he had the right to exercise many freedoms, not everything was beneficial and constructive.

When we watch for undisciplined compulsions and avoid addictions, we create margin for constructive service, for beneficial generosity, because we cut the waste out of life.

At this point, I imagine the characters contrived by C.S. Lewis, Screwtape and Wormwood, sitting on either side of each of us. They want us addicted and enslaved to anything but Jesus.

Pray for safe travel today. Jenni and I fly to South Carolina to speak this weekend on stewardship and generosity at the Abbey in Pawleys Island. That’s right, the Generosity Monk and the Soulcare Anchoress visiting the Abbey.

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

“To describe simplicity only as an inner reality is to say something false. The inner reality is not a reality until there is an outward expression. To experience the liberating spirit of simplicity will affect how we live. As I have warned earlier, every attempt to give specific application to simplicity runs the risk of a deterioration into legalism. It is a risk, however, that we must take, for to refuse to discuss specifics would banish the Discipline to the theoretical. After all, the writers of Scripture constantly took that risk. And so I follow their lead and suggest ten controlling principles for the outward expression of simplicity. They should never be viewed as laws but as only one attempt to flesh out the meaning of simplicity for today.

First, buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. Cars should be bought for their utility, not their prestige. Consider riding a bicycle. When you are considering an apartment, a condominium, or a house, thought should be given to livability rather than how much it will impress others. Don’t have more living space than is reasonable. After all, who needs seven rooms for two people? Consider your clothes. Most people have no need for more clothes. They buy more not because they need clothes, but because they want to keep up with the fashions. Hang the fashions! Buy what you need. Wear your clothes until they are worn out. Stop trying to impress people with your clothes and impress them with your life. If it is practical in your situation, learn the joy of making clothes. And for God’s sake (and I mean that quite literally) have clothes that are practical rather than ornamental.”

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 89-90.

Foster’s good chapter on simplicity just got better with his list of ten practical applications. We will explore them over the next ten days.

Imagine if Christian stewards everywhere focused their spending toward what is useful and practical rather than on what is ornamental and aimed at gaining status before people!

It would be a different world. Today’s advice speaks to the decisions we make everyday related to spending. Useful things may not always be the least expensive.

Let’s all aim at this. Let’s set a trend not to follow the crowd but to choose a path of contentment with what is useful and practical in vehicles, living situations, apparel, and food.

The best part about this. It prepares us to give an account before God of our stewardship while creating margin to live, give, serve, and love generously and exhibiting a witness consistent to our faith.

Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’ Deuteronomy 15:10-11

“To have our goods available to others marks and inner attitude of simplicity. If our goods are not available to the community when it is clearly right and good, then they are stolen goods. The reason we find such an idea so difficult is our fear of the future. We cling to our possessions rather than sharing them because we are anxious about tomorrow. But if we truly believe that God is who Jesus says He is, then we do not need to be afraid. When we come to see God as the almighty Creator and our loving Father, we can share because we know that he will care for us. If someone is in need, we are free to help them. Again, ordinary common sense will define the parameters of our sharing and save us from foolishness.”

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 89.

Listen to this line again: “If our goods are not available to the community when it is clearly right and good, then they are stolen goods.” Did you hear that? It matches so many texts in the biblical narrative.

When Achan kept for himself spoils from Ai that belonged to God in Joshua 7, the literal term says that he embezzled from God. Stolen goods! The same terms is used linked to the sin of Ananias and Sapphire in Acts 5. Stolen goods!

Many text declare God’s ownership of everything (Exodus 19:15; Deuteronomy 10:14; and Psalm 24:1, among others), so anytime we claim ownership of anything that belongs to God, we are in dangerous territory: Stolen goods.

Today I want to give you an opportunity to share. GTP will host the Global Gathering of 100+ board members, staff, and key volunteers from 60+ countries in October 2025. Preparations are well underway. I am writing on behalf of about 75 key volunteers.

Each one rallied 12+ senders to get the privilege of attending. But most of them, coming from places like Burundi, Botswana, or Nepal, only raised a few dollars or a maybe $100. Can you make a gift here to help cover the cost of their participation?

These estimated total need is about $75,000 for uncovered expenses related travel, lodging, meals, and conference costs. Give as you are able. Please, make a gift of any size available to help workers who have rallied local support but need our help. Thanks.

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:8

“It is God’s business, and not ours, to care for what we have… God is able to protect what we possess. We can trust Him. Does that mean that we should never take the keys out of the car or lock the door? Of course not. But we know that the lock on the door is not what protects the house. It is only common sense to take normal precautions, but if we believe that precaution itself protects us and our goods, we will be riddled with anxiety. There simply is no such thing as “burglar proof” precaution. Obviously, these matters are not restricted to possessions but include such things as our reputation and our employment. Simplicity means the freedom to trust God for these (and all) things.”

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 88-89.

Think about it. The call for us to love God and love our neighbor finds deep roots in the profound truth that God cares more about protecting us, than we do, and we can trust Him with our lives and possessions.

Nothing happens to us that He does not allow. Nothing can thwart His plans. Nothing, as Foster rightly notes is “burglar proof” as sometimes God allows us to experience losses for bigger purposes we may not understand.

His commands to live, give, serve, and love generously are based on His matchless and abundant love for us. We can rest in His protection and trust in His unfailing love. But do we live like we believe this?

Ask the Holy Spirit this question. What needs to change in my life to show I trust in God’s protection for me?

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:19

“Freedom from anxiety is one of the inward evidences of seeking first the kingdom of God. The inward reality of simplicity involves a life of joyful unconcern for possessions. Neither the greedy nor the miserly know this liberty. It has nothing to do with abundance of possessions or their lack. It is an inward spirit of trust. The sheer fact that a person is living without things is no guarantee that he or she is living in simplicity. Paul taught us that the love of money is the root of all evil, and I have discovered that often those who have it the least love it the most. It is possible for a person to be developing an outward life- style of simplicity and to be filled with anxiety. Conversely, wealth does not bring freedom from anxiety.

Kierkegaard writes, “… riches and abundance come hypocritically clad in sheep’s clothing pretending to be security against anxieties and they become then the object of anxiety … they secure a man against anxieties just about as well as the wolf which is put to tending the sheep secures them … against the wolf.” Freedom from anxiety is characterized by three inner attitudes. If what we have we receive as a gift, and if what we have is to be cared for by God, and if what we have is available to others, then we will possess freedom from anxiety.

This is the inward reality of simplicity. However, if what we have we believe we have gotten, and if what we have we believe we must hold onto, and if what we have is not available to others, then we will live in anxiety. Such persons will never know simplicity regardless of the outward contortions they may put themselves through in order to live “the simple life.”

To receive what we have as a gift from God is the first inner attitude of simplicity. We work but we know that it is not our work that gives us what we have. We live by grace even when it comes to “daily bread.” We are dependent upon God for the simplest elements of life: air, water, sun. What we have is not the result of our labor, but of the gracious care of God. When we are tempted to think that what we own is the result of our personal efforts, it takes only a little drought or a small accident to show us once again how utterly dependent we are for everything.”

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 87-88.

How beautiful that a benefit of choosing a life of simplicity results in freedom from anxiety. God’s ways bring peace and life and they position us for rich generosity.

Notice this statement from Foster: “if what we have we believe we must hold onto, and if what we have is not available to others, then we will live in anxiety.”

Or reflect on Kierkegaard who writes: “… riches and abundance come hypocritically clad in sheep’s clothing pretending to be security against anxieties and they become then the object of anxiety …”

When we choose simplicity, we proclaim that all we have came from God. This opens our hands to enjoy and share God’s blessings generously. Ponder this today with gratitude.

And choose simplicity.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33

“The central point for the discipline of simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness of His kingdom first and then everything necessary will come in its proper order. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Jesus’ insight at this point. 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.

Simplicity itself becomes idolatry when it takes precedence over seeking the kingdom. In a particularly penetrating comment on this passage of Scripture, Søren Kierkegaard considers what sort of effort could be made to pursue the kingdom of God. Should a person get a suitable job in order to exert a virtuous influence? His answer: no, we must first seek God’s kingdom. Then should we give away all our money to feed the poor? Again the answer: no, we must first seek God’s kingdom.

Well, then perhaps we are to go out and preach this truth to the world that people are to seek first God’s kingdom? Once again the answer is a resounding: no, we are first to seek the kingdom of God. Kierkegaard concludes, “Then in a certain sense it is nothing I shall do. Yes, certainly, in a certain sense it is nothing, become nothing before God, learn to keep silent; in this silence is the beginning, which is, first to seek God’s Kingdom.”

Focus upon the kingdom produces the inward reality, and without the inward reality we will degenerate into legalistic trivia. Nothing else can be central. The desire to get out of the rat race cannot be central, the redistribution of the world’s wealth cannot be central, the concern for ecology cannot be central. Seeking first God’s kingdom and the righteousness, both personal and social, of that kingdom is the only thing that can be central in the spiritual discipline of simplicity.

The person who does not seek the kingdom first does not seek it at all. Worthy as all other concerns may be, the moment they become the focus of our efforts they become idolatry. To center on them will inevitably draw us into declaring that our particular activity is Christian simplicity. And, in fact, when the kingdom of God is genuinely placed first, ecological concerns, the poor, the equitable distribution of wealth, and many other things will be given their proper attention.”

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 86-87.

Jenni and I were just talking at dinner last night about the toxic thinking that has infiltrated the church, namely the “family first” mindset. When we put family or anything ahead of God’s kingdom, it’s a recipe for disaster.

The best way to ruin children is to put them first. In so doing, parents (wrongly!) teach them the world revolves around them. It does not. Putting anything ahead of God is, as Foster rightly notes, idolatry.

And it’s also the pathway for missing everything God desires for us. Why? “The person who does not seek the kingdom first does not seek it at all.” I hope this post gets you thinking. Am I seeking the kingdom first?

Each of us must answer this for ourselves. And one clue to see if the kingdom is first. Do you give God your first and best or do you allot Him a portion and make your priorities supreme?

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land — a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. Deuteronomy 8:7–9

“Simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us. Without simplicity we will either capitulate to the “mammon” spirit of this present evil age, or we will fall into an un-Christian legalistic asceticism. Both lead to idolatry. Both are spiritually lethal.

Descriptions of the abundant material provision God gives His people abound in Scripture. “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land…a land…in which you will lack nothing” (Deut. 8:7–9). Warnings about the danger of provisions that are not kept in proper perspective also abound. “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth’” (Deut. 8:17).

The spiritual discipline of simplicity provides the needed perspective. Simplicity 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. Once we recognize that the Bible denounces the materialist and the ascetic with equal vigor, we are prepared to turn our attention to the framing of a Christian understanding of simplicity.”

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 84-85.

Today is my anniversary. Jenni and I celebrate 33 years. In Scripture the number links to the length of the earthly life of Jesus and divine promises and completeness. I thank God for a wife that is a divine gift from God who completes me.

Part of what I appreciate about Jenni is her ordered attachments. She’s attached to God as the highest priority of her life so it’s not hard to abandon materialism and asceticism. She enjoys and shares life and love like Jesus.

And I am thankful God has put us in Colorado the last 26 years. It’s a good land with mountains and streams and it has provided a place for us to thrive. Today I am thankful to be in a good land with a great wife willing to pursue simplicity.

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:32-34

“He exhorted the rich young ruler not just to have an inner attitude of detachment from his possessions, but literally to get rid of his possessions if he wanted the kingdom of God (Matt. 19:16–22). He says, “Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

He counseled people who came seeking God, “Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail…” (Luke 12:33). He told the parable of the rich farmer whose life centered in hoarding—we would call him prudent; Jesus called him a fool (Luke 12:16–21). He states that if we really want the kingdom of God we must, like a merchant in search of fine pearls, be willing to sell everything we have to get it (Matt. 13:45-46).

He calls all who would follow Him to a joyful life of carefree unconcern for possessions: “Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again” (Luke 6:30). Jesus speaks to the question of economics more than any other single social issue. If, in a comparatively simple society, our Lord lays such strong emphasis upon the spiritual dangers of wealth, how much more should we who live in a highly affluent culture take seriously the economic question.”

Richard Foster (b. 1942) in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 83.

Jesus gives explicit instructions on wealth because He knows things we only discover in obedience. For example, whatever we think we own, owns us. Whatever we hold on to becomes the object of our trust. That’s why, like Elsa, He says, “Let it go! Let it go!”

He also knows that fear keeps us from obeying. Fear of not having enough money to live, give, serve, and love generously. So we hoard and we never have enough. Others have posited a target number.

They reason that I will earn a certain number and then serve God. The irony is that their focus is that number to sustain them. Again, such people ignore Jesus acting as if they know better.

I think Luke put the parable of the mina at the end of the earthly ministry of Jesus because it brings all His teachings together. If we see ourselves as servants with a mina, everything makes sense. A mina was three months income.

A mina was all a steward needed to be fruitful. When the mina produced more, they returned the gain to the Master. The faithful stewards “Let it go! Let it go!” They did not bury it but put it to work. And they always had enough under the Master’s care.

God forgive us from seeing gain as belonging to us. Holy Spirit convict us to let go of wealth so our hands are free to cling to you. And Jesus, thanks for pointing the way to carefree unconcern for possessions because of your great love. Amen.