Don't Over Do

Do not overwork to be rich; 

Because of your own understanding, cease!

Proverbs 23:4 NKJV

The bigger our appetites are for more the more we have to work. Multiple times God tells us that working hard is the way to provide for your family. The problem is when we desire riches instead of being content with enough. That is when working hard turns into overworking. More work requires less time with family & can strain relationships. It can also means more stress & often more medical problems.

So what is the remedy? Use the good sense God gave us! Think, be wise, and stop! Rest, recharge, deepen relationships, and praise God.

Give & Get

There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. 

The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage.

Proverbs 11:24-25, 28 NKJV

Holding on to more than we can use ends with having less than we need. Blessings come by blessing others. 

But verse 28 is my favorite! It gets to the heart of way we tend to hang on to things... Misplaced trust. We are trusting in our things instead of our King. True security is found in God and letting him provide our needs. Many times, though, we forget that and try to keep enough for today, tomorrow, and seventeen years from now so that we know we will be taken care of. This verse reminds us that this misplaced trust will cause us to fall. If you try to wall through my kids' room with the lights off and you will know that is true. Literally.

Strive for righteousness and generosity and flourish! (and stop tripping over toys. ☺)

Sacrifice & Share

For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.  Hebrews 13:14-16 NKJV

Sacrifice was the most intimate act of worship that an Israelite could have with God. That was the time that God showed up and his presence felt. We are instructed to continually offer sacrifice with our words, not just on the designated days (or in our world, not only at church). But that alone is not enough! Think of it, an integral part of our relationship with God has additional instructions... Do good and share.

I am starting to get it. The more I share, the more readily thankfulness is on my tongue. The more good I do, my more sincere my praise becomes to God and to those around me.

No, our faith isn't about the good that we do. The good that we do is our faith in motion. Go out with praise and grateful words. Go out and share your abundance. Go out and do good. It makes your Heavenly Father smile.

Delayed Gratification

Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’  ” And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.    Luke 18:18-23 NKJV

Good things come to those who wait.
Delayed gratification.
Patience.
Hope.

Putting off the treasures that we can see, feel, taste, and enjoy now for the far better and lasting treasures of heaven shouldn't be that hard. The rich young ruler should have ran to the dollar store to buy a marker, stickers, and signs and headed home to begin setting up one epic garage sale! Instead, he got depressed. Remember, he was a good guy. He kept the commandments and had all his life. But this time Jesus asked for more than he could give... His wealth.

Hanging on tightly to our stuff makes it hard to believe the Hope of heaven is better than the glitter of earth. The less glitter we keep, the brighter the Hope shines.

Remember... not all that glitters is gold.

Leave What Remains

When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.   Deuteronomy 24:19-21 NIV

If we have more than is necessary for us (even if it is rightfully ours) we need to make sure to share our excess with those who needs have not been met. That's hard because often it is difficult to get rid of the things we think are very valuable or that we worked hard to get. That too is greed.

I tell my kids that all the time... You have a 10 super hero guys. Share a few with your sister. Or... You have a whole bowl of popcorn. Share with your brother. Truth is, I don't think sharing is any easier for adults. And definitely isn't easy if we have a death grip on our things.

Daily Bread

I can still see the posters my children's church teacher used to help us learn The Lord's Prayer. They were bright blue with a simple picture to remind us of the next phrase. One had a picture of a warm loaf of bread... Give us this day our daily bread.

That verse in Matthew 6, seems so simple: just seven words, no crazy Hebrew names. It is even easier to pray, right? Hey, God, give me something! Seems odd that Jesus would need to teach us to ask for things. Maybe he was teaching us as much about living as he was about praying.

Give... God is the source of supply for our needs.

Us... The group, not just me.

This day... Keep the immediate future as our concern.

Our daily... Only the amount needed for today & acknowledge that God is faithful everyday.

Bread... A simple meal that meets our needs.

This was one of the first parts of the Bible that I memorized. It is one of the hardest parts to live out. I am a mom, which means I am capable of worrying about 842,416 things all at one time most of which won't even be an issue for 20 years, instead of remembering God is the faithful source of my needs. I am far more concerned about the needs of my family than those of my neighbors. And, while I carefully plan before going to the grocery store so there is less waste, I will quickly throw out my packed lunch for the tasty and expensive restaurant food when someone at work suggests eating out (which may or may not have happened today).

I memorized that verse a long time ago, but I am just now starting to get it.

Great Gain

Good evening! Here is our kick-off text... I Timothy 6:6-8 NKJV

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

The definition of contentment from a biblical perspective is: “An internal satisfaction which does not demand changes in external circumstances”—Holman Bible Dictionary.

So far in my journey to less, I have learned it is easier to be content with less than it is to be content with more. As it is with most Biblical wisdom, this seems upside down. The world says... If you have this or that then you will be satisfied. God says, Have a genuine relationship with me and just enough material possessions and you will be blessed with great gain!

Our greatest gain is that relationship with Jesus and our eternal hope. That is the one thing we can add to our lives that we can take out of this world with us. The more of this world we own, the more tempted we are to make more our goal... I Timothy 6:9 NKJV

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

I am so excited to have less! Having less leads to desiring less! Desiring less leads to contentment! It gives us more room for important things... Like friendship & fellowship. Thank you for sharing this journey with me!