In Other Words

Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ, equip you with every good thing to do His will, working in us what is pleasing before Him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen.  Hebrews 13:20-21 NET

In other words, to stop our striving is to trust God’s equipping. He is the One who works in us and through us. As we surrender to His indwelling Spirit, we find perfect rest. And satisfaction in Christ, not possessions. 

A minimalist life is a mission-forward life. That mission may be “big”—daring, visible, attention grabbing. But it doesn’t have to be. Things that seem “small” are big in impact too if we do them in love and humility. If we’re attentive, we’ll glimpse a greater purpose in the distance— It’s a purpose beyond ourselves. A purpose bigger than ourselves. One that’s worthy of the life we’ve been given to live. 

For some, this purpose is centered on family: their spouse, kids, parents, or other relatives. 

For others, this may be a specific cause: the homeless, the environment, animals, people with disabilities, or something else. 

Still others might discover that in their career or work they are able to find greater purpose by serving others and not merely earning a paycheck. 

God has a role for each of us in building His kingdom. What if having less stuff gives us not just more space but more time? What  passion burns within you? What opportunities present themselves? What needs of others do you have the ability to meet? Maybe if we approach material ownership in a way that makes us different in the way we approach our pursuit of goals we will find a God filled purpose that creates a joyful, giving heart in us, not for applause but because it’s the way of Jesus.

And I hope whatever we do we do it while exhibiting such virtues as compassion, wisdom, prudence, modesty, fairness, and humor. These are the kinds of virtues we draw nearer to when we spurn materialism’s harsher values of greed, acquisitiveness, and showing off. As we grow closer to God through letting go of the stuff that can distract us from His calling, we recognize the fruits of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions, He has also given him the ability to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil; these things are the gift of God. For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life because God keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity. Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 NET

Choose to focus on feeding our spirits with the word of God. Not buying yet another item that  will sit at the bottom of an already full closet. When we surrender ourselves, our hearts to the Lord, our focus will begin to shift. When we surrender to Him, our priorities will begin to change. When we lean into Christ, our will begins to align with His Will. Seek His Word. Choose to set your eyes on Him, focus. With God, we can continue on through uncertainty, grief and confusion because He gives us the strength we need to get through this life. We are not alone. He is larger than our problems. Christ is bigger than our circumstance. He holds our purpose in His hands. He holds time in His hands. He holds our future in His hands. Time bows to Him. God is not bound or limited by it. We are called and invited and created to love and serve God and others. We are able to do this because of His grace, simply beautiful unmerited grace. 

Psalms 23:1-6 NET The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He takes me to lush pastures, He leads me to refreshing water. He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of His reputation. Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff reassure me. You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is completely full. Surely Your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days, and I will live in the LORD’s house for the rest of my life.

My prayer is that we arrive at the conviction that Christian contentment is finding delight in God’s wise plan for our lives and humbly allowing Him to direct us in it. That we may consistently display our contentment so that, in the end, God will be glorified in our daily life, we will be more joyful, we will be a source of inspiration to others who noticing faith and hope in us will seek the Savior, through whom alone they can have this same contentment. May we, with the help of Jesus, focus on what matters most in this time of pandemic by loving and serving Him and others.  May others show us God’s love and God’s constant presence when we need it as well.  And may we hold on to Jesus, our rock in a weary land, our shelter in a time of storm.