Richard Foster: Five helpful Tips regarding “things”

1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than for their status.
2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
3. Develop a habit of giving things away.
4. Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
5. Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others.

Richard Foster in A Celebration of Discipline as recounted by Penelope Wilcock, In Celebration of Simplicity (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009) 18.

“The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less you have, the more free you are. Poverty for us is freedom.”

Mother Teresa as recounted by Penelope Wilcock, In Celebration of Simplicity (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009) 12.

“Let your only debt that is unpaid be that of love–a debt which you should always be attempting to discharge in full, but will never succeed in discharging. [cf. Romans 13:8-10]”

Origen of Alexandria (182-254), Christian theologian and Church Father, as recounted by Douglas J. Moo in Romans, NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000) 433.

“The word ‘epiphany’ means ‘to show forth’. Epiphanies, both large and small, tend to be private events–yet events with great significance for the public. Trying to share the details with another of an epiphany is fraught with complications. The words are never quite right, and even the most sympathetic listener cannot fully bridge the gap between description and what is was like being there…The irony is that epiphanies are made for sharing, even as they are impossible to communicate fully.…


Unlike the poor shepherds, the Magi had to travel a long road; they had to face adversity to reach their goal. It was anything but a romantic, sentimental pilgrimage that we often see in our manger scenes!…The experience of the magi reminds us that all who make the tedious journey to the truth will finally encounter it and be changed in the process. They can never go back to a ‘business as usual’ way of life. When we meet Christ and see who he really is, we will never be the same–and only then can we hope to begin to share in his mission…”

Thomas Rosica in “The Tedius Journey to Truth and Joy”. Biblical Reflection for January 2, Solemnity of the Epiphany, Year A, December 25, 2010.

“Gratitude for God’s liberality toward us is best displayed in liberality toward others.”

Douglas Wilson in “Base Line Generosity” blogpost on 28 December 2013.

“Money and marriage can mix well if both are centered in God. Time and discipline are needed to master our money for God’s glory, to bring it fully into His kingdom. When King Jesus rules both our marriage and our money (what a glorious thought!), we receive the rewards. Then we experience the benefits of the kingdom–righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. We become pleasing to God and respected by the people who matter most to us (see Rom. 14:17-18). The kingdom of God is good news–great news! It brings God’s best–forgiveness, cleansing, gifts, fruit of the Spirit, character, virtue, joy, light, life–and much more. Happy marriages, good families, satisfying careers and healthy finances are often the byproducts. Money used wisely for God’s glory, helps build a happy marriage. Money misused foolishly for personal gain helps create an unhappy marriage.”

Neil T. Anderson and Charles Mylander, Experiencing Christ Together: Finding Freedom and Fulfillment in Marriage (Ventura: Regal, 2006) 143.

“I have come to believe that the threshold of the Way of Life is simplicity. We make the choice; we receive the faith; we place our trust in God…How Jesus put it, calling a little child to stand in the midst of them, was ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 18:3 NIV)…The entry point is simplicity…

Many people say that simplicity is a personal choice (it is, but not in the sense that they mean it—optional); some are called to it, others are not. Soothingly, reasonably, as to a willful child (my bad attitudes drive them to it, but they’re still wrong!), they explain to me that as long as a person has simplicity on the inside, in the heart, that’s what matters—then it’s okay to embrace all the trappings of worldliness, because what God looks on is the heart. Unequivocally, I refute this. They mean well, but their advice is a signpost that points in the wrong direction.”

Penelope Wilcock, In Celebration of Simplicity (Monarch Books, 2009) 11-12.

“This is why God has allowed you to have more: not for you to waste on prostitutes, drink, or fancy food, expensive clothes, and all the other kinds of indolence, but for you to distribute to those in need…The rich man is a kind of steward of the money which is owed for the distribution to the poor. He is directed to distribute it to his fellow servants who are in want. So if he spends more on himself than his need requires, he will pay the harshest penalty hereafter. For his own goods are not his own, but belong to his fellow servants…For you have obtained more than others have, and you have received it, not to spend on yourself, but to become a good steward for others as well.”

John Chrysostom (347-407) Archbishop of Constantinople in On Wealth and Poverty, trans. Catherine P. Roth (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1999) 49-50.

“I pledge to discover how much is enough for me to be truly fulfilled, neither rich nor poor, and to consume only that.

I pledge to be part of the discovery of how much would be enough for everyone–not only to survive but to thrive–and to find ways for them to have access to that.

Though this commitment to restraint and justice, I am living the teachings of Jesus, healing my life and am part of the healing of the world.”

Evy McDonald in Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective ed. Michael Schut (New York: Morehouse, 2008) 66.

“Money motivation is not the best motivation; in fact it can make you down right miserable. It frustrates you and those around you because money-motivated people are never content. They have an insatiable desire for the next deal or the next opportunity to make more. An all-consuming desire for money leads you to compromise common sense and character. Ironically, your family suffers the most even when your desire is for them to enjoy the benefits money may produce…
        
Money motivation is the antithesis of mission motivation. The latter has a greater purpose in mind. The focus is on excellent work accompanied by eternal expectations…Money becomes a result, not a reason, when the mission creates a culture of care and collaboration…There is a discipline in decision-making that characterizes mission-driven people and organizations…Mission is the master of money, so focus on the mission of your Master, Jesus, and you will be much more productive in the long run. Mission motivation keeps you trustworthy, effective, and blessed by God.”

Boyd Bailey, excerpt from Wisdom Hunters daily e-devotional December 30, 2013.