Recently I heard a talk from a man who was now married, living on a ranch with his 2 young boys. He said that he was an alcoholic and had given up drinking. He had been clean and sober for 12 years. He no longer slept around, he no longer watched meaningless TV shows, he no longer bought everything he desired and he had given up sugar. His conclusion was that after giving up all of his vices, his life was pretty boring.
This man then referenced a book by George Eliot called Middlemarch. This book follows two people. One seeks fame and fortune and the other just wants a family in a home with a good job. The conclusion is that people who follow the simple life can find great happiness. The book also states that people who used to have many vices and who remove them, need a time of readjustment as they find their happiness in simple things.
Today, in high schools and colleges all over America there are people who want to make their mark on the world. When I worked in various startups, every CEO wanted to be the next Bill Gates. When I was in seminary, most students wanted to be the next Rick Warren. Wherever people are, there is a desire to make it big, to be something big. They believe that making it big will bring more happiness than a simple life. This can also be seen by the millions of people who clamor for tickets when the PowerBall is over $300 million.
Christians have been teaching and understanding the simple life for millennia. Monasteries are the extreme of the simple life. They give up everything in order to gain a closer relationship with Christ. Generally speaking, however, Christians preach and teach against worldly vices. Excessive drinking is a sin, sleeping around is a sin, seeking pleasure for pleasures sake is a sin and self-advancement is a sin. The goal of the Christian, is to replace the worldly vices with a relationship with Christ. So instead of seeking worldly pleasures, Christians seek relationships with God and other Christians in church. I rarely hear Christians, however, speaking of the evils of sugar.
True believing Christians would never call their lives boring. The journey with Christ is exciting and interesting and is something that can never be replicated by worldly means. Giving up worldly vices is on the path of holiness and righteousness. We are told in Matthew 6:33 to seek God’s kingdom first. Paul writes in Philippians 4:12 that he has learned to live with much and with little and to still have everything he needs. Christ is our joy and Christ is our happiness. The world provides a cheap, temporary substitute.
So to those who are seeking a simple life in their own strength, I will say this: Stop striving on your own. Seek and find Christ and through the power of God, live a full and complete life for all eternity.
This man then referenced a book by George Eliot called Middlemarch. This book follows two people. One seeks fame and fortune and the other just wants a family in a home with a good job. The conclusion is that people who follow the simple life can find great happiness. The book also states that people who used to have many vices and who remove them, need a time of readjustment as they find their happiness in simple things.Today, in high schools and colleges all over America there are people who want to make their mark on the world. When I worked in various startups, every CEO wanted to be the next Bill Gates. When I was in seminary, most students wanted to be the next Rick Warren. Wherever people are, there is a desire to make it big, to be something big. They believe that making it big will bring more happiness than a simple life. This can also be seen by the millions of people who clamor for tickets when the PowerBall is over $300 million.
Christians have been teaching and understanding the simple life for millennia. Monasteries are the extreme of the simple life. They give up everything in order to gain a closer relationship with Christ. Generally speaking, however, Christians preach and teach against worldly vices. Excessive drinking is a sin, sleeping around is a sin, seeking pleasure for pleasures sake is a sin and self-advancement is a sin. The goal of the Christian, is to replace the worldly vices with a relationship with Christ. So instead of seeking worldly pleasures, Christians seek relationships with God and other Christians in church. I rarely hear Christians, however, speaking of the evils of sugar.
True believing Christians would never call their lives boring. The journey with Christ is exciting and interesting and is something that can never be replicated by worldly means. Giving up worldly vices is on the path of holiness and righteousness. We are told in Matthew 6:33 to seek God’s kingdom first. Paul writes in Philippians 4:12 that he has learned to live with much and with little and to still have everything he needs. Christ is our joy and Christ is our happiness. The world provides a cheap, temporary substitute.
So to those who are seeking a simple life in their own strength, I will say this: Stop striving on your own. Seek and find Christ and through the power of God, live a full and complete life for all eternity.
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