The Simple Life - Pt. 3

 

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17 ESV).

 

The second step in living this simple life is to decide that you don’t have to live like everybody else, and they don’t have to live like you. What a simpler life will “look like” for one person may not look at all like a simpler life does for someone else. However, there are some basics that are the same for all people. It can be reduced to a practice of refusing to covet. When we have this strong desire for what others have, it is like telling God we are not happy with what He has given us. This is one of reasons it is given prominence in both the Old and New Testament.

 

The writer of Hebrews reminds us: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). This verse reminds me of the “little sparrows.” These tiny, seemingly insignificant birds provide a great insight. On the surface there doesn’t seem to be a connection at all, but if we notice one word in the last of this verse, we will see the writer uses the word “for” as he says God will leave us. It is a clear indication that the presence of God empowers us to overcome covetousness.

 

There is an innate drive within each human being for “more.” Our dreams, aims, and goals are a manifestation of this. Without this constant inner need for more, there would be no pressure to perform, not pressure to succeed, and not pressure to acquire. In and of itself, this drive is not ungodly. It was placed there by God Himself to inspire us to walk in righteousness and live His Word in our lives. For a Christian, the drive for more should be the need for more of God and the things He is doing in us, the more of God and less of me we so blithely speak without really thinking about what it actually means. Return to the sparrow. Jesus told us that if not a single sparrow falls unnoticed by God, how much more valuable to Him are His children – you and I? No matter how small and insignificant we may imagine ourselves to be, or actually be in relation to others, we are no less valuable in God’s eyes. That’s a truth to treasure, but I also believe that little bird is an example of how we are to live in order to overcome covetousness. The Bible tells us that just as God provides for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, so He will provide for us. The implication is that God will always provide what we need. The simple explanation is that we are to live without worrying about the things we need, but simply trusting that God will provide according to our needs rather than our desires.