“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” - Luke 16:13

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” - Luke 12:15

We live in a world that is far from simple. However, amidst the chaos of modern life, Jesus invites into the freedom of simplicity. In this post, we will take a look at the discipline of simplicity and how practicing it well will help us in the journey of following Jesus.

Simplicity vs. Duplicity

Richard Foster writes in Celebration of Discipline, “Simplicity is freedom. Duplicity is bondage. Simplicity brings joy and balance. Duplicity brings anxiety and fear.” Jesus talks about this when he says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines duplicity as: “contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action” A life of duplicity is one that has divided devotion, it lacks a singular focus. On the contrast, a life of simplicity is one that has a single focus, a pure devotion to only one master. As Soren Kierkegaard said, “purity of heart is to will one thing.” Now, what we are talking about here is not just simplicity in a generic sense, but simplicity in the sense that God and His kingdom become our single devotion; our “one thing”. That is the goal of this discipline, to eliminate the duplicity in our hearts and come to a place of simple, pure, and singular devotion to God. As James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Purity of heart is what the discipline of simplicity is all about.

Internal and External

It is important to know that true simplicity has two equally important aspects: internal and external. To only have one means that we really don’t have it at all. They are both necessary.
The internal deals with the heart. From the heart is where our actions flow. If we do not have the internal attitude of simplicity than any external actions of simplicity will only lead to legalism. When we speak of the heart, we must address the issue of trust. We must ask ourselves the question, “Who do I trust?” When Jesus spoke (Matthew 6:25-34) of seeking the Kingdom first and then all the other things of life would be taken care of, he was getting at the issue of trust. In part, he was saying that if we will seek the Kingdom first, make it our priority, than we can trust that God will take care of our needs just as he takes care of the needs of birds in the air and flowers in the field.

3 Attitudes of the Heart
Foster gives us three internal attitudes that characterize simplicity:

1. To receive what we have as a gift from God. We must come to understand that we though we work, we live by the grace of God alone. He is the supplier of all that we have.
2. To know that it is God’s business, and not ours, to care for what we have. We come to know that God is able to protect what he gives to us. It does not mean that we throw common sense out the window, rather we have a clear understanding that it is God is the ultimate protector.
3. To have our possessions available to others. We do not cling to and fear the loss of possessions, because we know that God will provide what we need. Again, this does not mean that we do not use common sense in the sharing of our possessions, but it does mean that we learn to loosen our grip as we grow in our trust in God.

You may notice, that these internal characteristics directly address the anxiety that so often plagues us when it comes to our possessions. But, if these attitudes are developed, then we will come to discover the freedom Jesus invites us into when he says, “do not be anxious”.

External

The external side of simplicity is just as important as the internal. The outward lifestyle of simplicity is the natural expression of the heart of simplicity. We cannot just have the internal and not the external. The change of heart should be expressed in the way we live.

Foster gives us 10 simple external practices of simplicity that will help give expression to the internal heart change:

1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. “Stop trying to impress people with your clothes and impress them with your life.”
2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. In our media saturated culture it can be hard, but “any of the media that you find you cannot do without, get rid of.” And, “if money has a grip on your heart, give some away.” “Refuse to be a slave to anything but God”.
3. Develop a habit of giving things away. De-accumulate!
4. Refuse to be lured into the need for gadgets and “new” everything.
5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation. “Simplicity means to discover once again that ‘the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof’.”
7. Look with healthy skepticism at all “buy now, pay later” schemes. Be extrememly cautious of incurring debt.
8. Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech (Matthew 5:37).
9. Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others. “In a world of limited resources, does our lust for wealth mean the poverty of others?” Consider buying food and other items that are “fair trade”.
10. Lastly, shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the Kingdom of God. This is ultimately where the heart of true simplicity lives. “always hold the Kingdom of God as the number one priority of our lives. To do so is to live in simplicity.”

Remember, the discipline of simplicity is not just about our actions, it is about our hearts and where our trust and focus are. Jesus calls us into a simple, pure life of trust in God and singular devotion to Him. By His grace, may discover this life.