Category: Series: Living Simply in Abundance
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Living Simply in Abundance (25)
What can we conclude about living simply in abundance? Here are eight thoughts. First and foremost, living simply is not a matter of material wealth. It is a relational matter with God. Our singular focus on God will orient our relationship to our wealth and every other aspect of our life. Second, God's intention for…
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Living Simply in Abundance (24)
I've suggested that we need to get in touch with the forces within us that distort our sense of need and be intentional in our financial management. Beyond this, I want to suggest that we must also become disillusioned. Isn't it interesting that the word "disillusion" has a negative connotation? After all, if we are…
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Living Simply in Abundance (23)
False needs, or attempts to meet legitimate needs inappropriately, often lead us into destructive economic behaviors. In the previous post, I wrote that we need to search ourselves and know what drives us to have a false sense of need. But we do have legitimate needs. How do we sort out the difference? At the…
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Living Simply in Abundance (22)
What are our primary obstacles to giving? I think many things stand in our way, but I want to focus on three obstructions. First, there is "the language of need." Next time you are in line at a fast-food joint, listen to how often you hear customers declaring, "I need a Whopper with cheese." Need…
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Living Simply in Abundance (21)
We've acknowledged that there is a role for institutions like government to play in addressing issues of material abundance. We are to support legitimate efforts by these institutions to fulfill their roles. But what is our response to the world outside our faithful stewardship of our family and local community relationships? One of my favorite…
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Living Simply in Abundance (20)
We have reviewed the concept of subsidiarity and the importance of the family. But what about single folks? What about nuclear families who are isolated from family support systems? There are needs for relationships beyond the family. Voluntary associations are one way we connect. Educational associations, youth sports leagues, hobby groups, service groups, and political…
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Living Simply in Abundance (19)
Modernism has offered us only two approaches to address human social and economic problems: Individualism and state control. Individuals and the state both have a role in addressing these problems, but there is another alternative: Multiple societal institutions operating according to the principle of subsidiarity. What is subsidiarity? The subsidiarity article on Wikipedia gives a…
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Living Simply in Abundance (18)
I ended the last post by noting that God calls us to other-centered community. But there is an important question that is at first not obvious: Which others? The world is filled with more than six billion people. Which ones do I start with? Isn't choosing one over another judgmental? Some ethicists argue that as…
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Living Simply in Abundance (17)
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains." 1 Timothy 6:10 (NRSV) This passage is frequently misquoted: "Money is a root of all kinds of evil." The statement is that…
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Living Simply in Abundance (16)
So far in this series, we've explored the relationship between consumption, saving, and giving; we've talked about the dynamics of generating economic abundance; we've looked at the economic differences between our world and the ancient world; we've done a quick survey of the biblical narrative concerning wealth and abundance; we've reflected on the impact Modernism,…