Training Camp: Developing The Disciplines
Luke 12:13-34
Well, Valentines day came and went during this past week – you know what that means don’t you? Yup, we’re about 7 weeks into the new year, and the TAG Center is empty again! Now I can go in at my normal time and not have any trouble getting a treadmill! All those New Years resolutions about working out and getting in shape have fallen by the wayside for most people. It’s really very sad – because we have this wonderful facility in our city, and people who desperately need to get some regular physical activity in their lives, and yet it only gets used for about 6 weeks out of the year – from New Years until Valentines Day.
Of course there are a few who stay at it – they keep going – keep getting that cardio-vascular workout, and as a result they reap the benefits – they feel better, look better, have a better attitude, are happier, handle stress better and work more efficiently. The benefits gained by a regular, disciplined work out schedule are incalculable.
The same thing is true of your Spiritual condition. The benefits of regular spiritual disciplines are too great to gauge – they impact the soul in such a huge way that we can’t begin to comprehend it.
I believe that most people really want to be in good physical condition, but lack coaching and encouragement, and have convinced themselves that it’s beyond their reach.
Likewise, I believe that most people really want to have a relationship with God that is healthy and real – but we just don’t know the steps to take, or we have convinced ourselves that it’s for the “super spiritual” – beyond our humble reach.
But I’m here to tell you that it is possible to have a dynamic, vital relationship with God – to have a spiritual life that is healthy and meaningful and vigorous. It is, in fact the relationship that God desires to have with us – He, in fact, has placed the desire for fellowship and the longing for growth within us! When I plant an apple tree in my yard, I don’t have to convince the tree to grow – it is a part of the nature of things to grow – what I need to do is give that tree the proper conditions so that it will grow. The same is true of the soul. If I give my spiritual self the proper settings and environment for growth – the growth will happen.
So how do we do that? How do we put ourselves in a setting that promotes real, meaningful spiritual growth and development? It is through the practice of Spiritual Disciplines. Spiritual Disciplines have been defined as “the things that only I can do that allow God to do what only He can do.” During these opening weeks of the year, we are examining these disciplines. This is an opportunity for you to be exposed to the spiritual exercises that you can do that will get you into better spiritual fitness. Like any fitness program, you don’t want to try to take on everything at once – allow the Holy Spirit to take these messages and impress on you those that you need to adopt for your own personal life.
So far we’ve talked about disciplines of meditation, prayer fasting and study. Today, we are going to look at the spiritual discipline of “Simplicity.” I am defining simplicity as,
To uncomplicated and untangle my life so I can focus on what really matters.
When I tell you today that I’m going to speak on the Spiritual Discipline of “Simplicity,” perhaps this is the image that comes to mind:
[Clip – Weird Al Yankovic – Amish Paradise – first minute
of video]
Does the thought of a “simple life” bring this kind of thought? Abandoning the complexities of life – refusing any luxuries or conveniences – withdrawing from the real world? Well, that’s not really what we’re after when we practice the discipline of simplicity. We think of a “simple life” as austere, uncomplicated and impoverished. But that’s not really what simple means.
If you look up “simple” in the dictionary you will get over 20 different definitions – from “easy” like “the test was simple,” to “common or ordinary,” as in “He was just a simple man.” But at its root, simple means “singular.” When something is “simple,” it is not compound, complex or multifaceted - it is singular, focused and uncomplicated.
For most of us, living a “simple” life sounds appealing. Some of us envy what we see as a “simple life” of the amish. But while we may sometimes long for the “simple” life, we find it hard to “simplify” - to get rid of the things that make our lives complex and complicated. But the discipline of simplicity is one that has been a part of the lifestyle of godly people for generations, and it may be that the Holy Spirit will prompt you to explore this discipline in your own life as we talk about it today.
In your Bibles, turn to the biography of Jesus written by Luke, chapter 12. We are going to be looking at an event that occurred in Jesus life that gives us some really important insight into how a child of God should live. In Luke 12, Jesus’ popularity is rapidly on the rise. In verse 1 we read, “When a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak to his disciples, saying…” He follows with some teachings about life, religion and God. In verse 12, a man from the crowd speaks up.
Beginning in Luke
12, verse 13, we read…[Read Luke 12:13-21.]
When the man from the crowd asked Jesus to get involved with the dispute of an inheritance, Jesus steered clear of that trap – but he went right to the heart of the issue. When brothers are arguing about inheritance – it’s pretty clear that there is a problem of greed. “I just want what’s mine!” may be the defense of the man in the crowd, but Jesus says, “be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” Even the kind that seem to be legitimate. Then Jesus says something that our culture needs desperately to hear and understand. He says, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Wow! Is that a counter cultural statement! In so much of our society we judge each other, and ourselves, but what we have – by the amount of stuff we own. I remember when a cordless phone in your house was a luxury – now our phones do everything but walk the dog – and we give them to our 3-year-olds! Our toys, gadgets, vehicles, homes, cabins; “72inch, 16:9 widescreen flat panel, high definition plasma TV with Digital Reality Creation Multifunction upgrades and Progressive scanning” – those are the things that define us, aren’t they? We are obsessed with stuff. Mark Twain once defined “civilization” as “a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.”
This is nothing new. The same measure was used in Jesus’ day. People were judged by others, and found their own self worth in what they owned. That’s why he makes the statement he does to the man from the crowd. “Be careful – a persons life does not consist of how much stuff he has.” “You may think your life is the sum total of what you own – but in reality it is something else.”
So if what we have does not define us – what does?
Jesus, as He usually does, tells a story to make His point. It’s the story of a guy who is a lot like you and me. In verse 17 he says, “What am I going to do? I don’t have enough room to store my stuff…” that’s really what it says – the original Greek word for “crops” in verse 17 was “fruit.” He was asking, in effect, “What am I going to do? I don’t have room to store the fruit of my labor?” Today we are a society that doesn’t have room to store all that our labors provide.
For just a moment consider the four square feet immediately around you (four feet by four feet by four feet). That area represents the average that every American has in a Self Storage unit. That does not include their attics, basements, closets, garages and, in some cases barns.
According to the Self Storage Association, a trade group charged with monitoring such things, the country now possesses some 1.875 billion square feet of personal storage. What this translates into, is an industry that now exceeds the revenues of Hollywood. One in 11 American households, according to a recent survey, owns self-storage space—an increase of some 75 percent since 1995. Last year alone saw a 24 percent spike in the number of self-storage units on the market.
We are just like the man in the story, aren’t we? We are putting up new barns to store our stuff! And like that man, one day, we will be gone, and leave all our stuff behind.
That’s why the lesson of this parable is so timely. And the lesson is spelled out clearly by Jesus in verses 20 & 21. One day we will die, and our stuff will be left for someone else to deal with – to fight over, to use for their pleasure – or, more likely, to throw it out. We’ve seen this played out on the television for over a week now with the death of Anna Nicole Smith, who went to any length to get more wealth, selling her looks to playboy, herself to an 89 year old billionaire when she was 26, – scratching and clawing and fighting over his money after he died – until she herself died last week at 39- and now the fighting begins over what she left behind.
And that’s the point – one day – all the “stuff” will be left behind – and when life is over, only what life REALLY consists of will matter – only life at it’s simplest will have any value.
Jesus makes that contrast in verse 21, “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself, but is not rich toward God.” That sentence, in essence, contrasts the compound, complex, complicated life with the simple life.
A simple life is a life that has a simple, single focus – God and His kingdom. A simple life realizes that when it’s all said and done, our lives will not be measured by the quantity of our stuff, but by our relationship with God.
Most of our lives are about our stuff – getting more, better and bigger. Our lives are about wealth and security and luxury, and those things become our primary motivator – our ultimate goal. They become, in fact – our god.
Opposed to that is a life that is simple, that has a singular focus – not on the gods of this world, but on God Himself. That’s why verse 22 continues, “Then Jesus said to his disciples…” He keeps on talking about this same topic. Some of your Bibles have a heading break there that says something like “Do Not Worry.” But those headings were not there when Luke wrote this biography they were added by someone who did your translation. In fact, Jesus keeps on talking about this same subject – the topic of how we handle our stuff. And what he says gives us really good insight in how to practice the discipline of simplicity.
There are two key phrases that define how to practice simplicity – they are found in verses 22 and 29 – “Don’t worry..” and “Don’t set your heart…” When our lives are not focused on God, they are going to be consumed with worry about our stuff, and we are going to have our attention and our loyalties on those things.
Jesus says that when we live a simple life, we won’t worry about what we will eat or what we will wear – because we will know that God provides for us. When we live a simple life, we won’t worry about our work or our salary – because we will know that God supplies our needs.
He sums up this teaching in verses 29-31 when He says, “Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink, do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you as well.”
When we practice the discipline of Simplicity, we have a central focus on God and His kingdom, and everything else takes its natural place subject to Him. Now I want you to notice something – Jesus does not say things are bad. He does not say that you shouldn’t have things. In fact – in verse 31 He says, “All these things will be added to you…” The stuff isn’t bad in and of itself, and God Himself will provide the stuff we need – the issue isn’t our stuff – it’s our heart. It’s what our “heart is set on,” (verse 29). It’s what we desire, seek, clamor for – it’s what we long for and hunger for – it’s what we use our energies for. Are we seeking, longing, and working for God and His kingdom, or for the stuff of this world?
Does this all make sense? I hope so. And trust me – this is not about you giving more money to the church! That’s not what we’re talking about! On this Amazing Grace Sunday, 200 years after the abolition of Slavery in the British Empire, we are talking about being freed from the bondage of greed and the insatiable thirst for more!
Simplicity, then, is a new way of thinking. When a follower of Jesus realizes that he needs to be “rich toward God,” he determines to discipline himself to think differently about his stuff. So how do we do that? How do we begin to re-shape the way we think about our possessions and our priorities?
Here are a few practical suggestions that will help you practice the discipline of simplicity. I think that for some of you, this might be a wonderful, liberating day!
It may be that for some of us, God is tugging at your heart this morning to get your priorities straight. To live a life that is far simpler than it has been - to stop chasing after the things of this world and to have a single, simple focus on the Lord. It may be that you’ve been trying to find satisfaction for your soul in stuff, or in relationships. Maybe you think your security comes in the form of a statement of your retirement plan each month. Folks – it’s all going to be left behind one day.
Your real security, your real meaning and purpose in life, will come when you discover that your Father in heaven already knows what you need, and will provide all you need – if you will simply seek Him first. Jesus came so that you can have life, abundant life that is full of meaning and purpose and fulfillment – that life is yours when you let go of this rat race, and seek hard after Him. Let’s pray.