Poignant statement: To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.” –John Burroughs
Subject: Frugality is virtue
Scripture: Proverb 30:7-9
These days there is a great turmoil in the financial world and most of the people are affected one way or the other. The world leaders are frantically talking about the need to solve this problem or else there is nothing but gloom or perhaps even doom. One of the biggest reasons for the worldwide economic meltdown is said to be greed. Those who could not afford big houses and cars kept on buying on credit and the banks kept giving money to the people and so when time came for payback there was no money coming and this is one of the great reasons for such a hopeless scenario. This gave me an idea to write my devotion based on the scripture quoted above.
The writer has a very pragmatic and balanced view of spirituality and material perspective. First, he wants God to save him from falsehood and lies. When we have no pretences and life of false image then we achieve true happiness and security. However in order to survive in this world he knows he needs the basic necessities of life but at the same time to have more than what is needed can cause him to forget his God. So he wants just right amount so that he can live in harmony with God and the created world. A man of God is just content in having the grace of God to live a true life and a life which has just adequate to meet his daily needs. He celebrates simplicity and frugality. He is not ashamed of having less and lives a life of grace and total contentment.
I know a man who has distorted the principle of the scriptures in relation to the provision and use of money. Since his youth he is notorious to have no control over money and this is now become a plague in his life. Today he is in steep debt and sinking further. Everyday when this flaw in his character is pointed out he vehemently refuses to believe that he is doing anything wrong. He sincerely but erroneously believes that God is the one to provide and He will provide. He is amazingly and absurdly blind to the reality of his abysmal situation. He is a man on the way to sure destruction and no warning or gentle counsel has worked so far. If he had read the Proverb 30: 7-9 and followed he would not be in such a pitiable situation.
There are few wonderful practical truths that we need to learn in relation to material things of this world. If we are able to understand these truths then we will be financially in much secure situation and happy in whatever we have and do not have. Let me give you these practical and simple helps.
We must always learn to live a frugal life. A frugal person is someone who knows how to use all the resources the Lord has given him in such a way that he can conserve carefully and consume wisely. Someone describes his life of frugality in this way “Frugality is so ingrained into my lifestyle that it would be difficult for me NOT to be frugal… but I’m a great believer in practicing sensible frugality… and that doesn’t mean deprivation, being miserly or feeling cheap. What sensible frugality does mean is getting the most value for the money spent. By practicing sensible frugality and saving money on necessary purchases… and perhaps eliminating unnecessary purchases… I actually end up with more money and more options of how to spend (or save) that money.” I would go along his statement but as a Christian I would also add that this way we can be a real steward of resources and enable us to be more generous. We must always be generous to give to those who need help at any time but if we are squanderer then we will be in constant need rather than providing help. As a Christian I am expected to set aside tithes of my income and also some free will offerings. This way the work of God is done and the needs of poor and needy are met.
In order to have adequate amount of money for our use and savings we must make a budget and carefully follow budgetary discipline. From my experience I have found it most profitable to budget on a monthly basis so that as much as possible I do not spend a single penny where it is not needed. This way I can keep track of each amount, plan the use of my money and have virtually no worry of not having money when I need.
One of the virtues of life for a Christian is a life of simplicity. We need to be careful when we define simplicity because it means many things to many people. Once, a missionary told us that when she had to go to remote village in Nepal, she took the bare minimum as her belongings. She was proud that she had managed to take almost nothing to this poor village. In the evening some curious ladies came in her little hut to see what she had brought with her and as they were leaving the hut one of the women commented to the other, ‘Look she must be very rich to bring all these things’ For the dear missionary her things were bare minimum but for a poor village lady she had all a woman could ask for.
We all believe God provides all our needs yet God has given us enough wisdom to save for the rainy days. Most of us go through times when we need money for special occasion and unless we have saved we will not be able to meet those needs. Each month we need to judiciously save money and even a little savings will grow. Never underestimate the power of small savings.
We must work hard and earn as much as we can. God wants us to not only have money for ourselves but also for those in needs. The Bible condemns those who do not work. Paul says “ .. If a man will not work, he shall not eat” So work of any kind is honorable but those who shirk from any work have not understood the meaning of a Christian life. We work to make a livelihood, give to God and help the poor among us.
We must also caution ourselves from those teachers who say that the proof of God’s blessing is our affluence. It is called ‘prosperity doctrine’ I believe God does bless His people with material blessings but we must know that this is not the only barometer to prove His grace in our lives. All children of God are truly blessed.
We should never compare what our next door neighbours have but be happy with what we have. Jesus says in Luke 12:15 “Then he said to them, Watch out and Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. When our daughter was getting married the people expected us to lavishly spend money because we are supposed to be one of the prominent Christian leaders in Dehradun. They were wrong because we did not have lots of money nor we wanted to borrow from anyone. We did not have to prove anything to anyone and so the wedding was simple and God honouring. This was possible because we had saved some money, determined to curtail expenses, never borrow and monkey our neighbours.
Learn to love simple things of life because the best things of life is easy to have and all around us. Robert Louis Stevenson says “The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.”
Each day let this passage from Proverb become your guide in relation to daily necessities of life. Jesus said “…do not worry about your life, what you will ear or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear…”
Yes there is financial tsunami but let us be calm. Let us learn to work hard, earn honestly and live a life of contentment and generosity.
Poignant statement: To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.” –John Burroughs
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being my God. You will always be there for me to see that I am well looked after. Let me learn to be frugal and simple in my life so that I have enough to live and generously share with those in need.
Republished in new layout on 8/20/30
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