This post is all about how the concept of minimalism uses Christian values.
Minimalism has been a hot topic for years now. But did you know that the ideas of minimalism are inherently Christian? While minimalism might give an incomplete picture of why possessions matter, it serves as a stepping stone in your quest to live wholeheartedly for God.
Minimalism vs Christian Minimalism
If you’ve been on the internet at all in the last five years, you’ve probably heard the term minimalism. But did you know that minimalism does not exclude Christians? In fact, many of the minimalist principles are actually Christian values.
What is minimalism?
Minimalism is a lifestyle that promotes owning less so that you have more time for the things that matter to you. It is about being intentional with the things you value and removing anything that detracts from them. Minimalism is keeping the things that “spark joy” for you while letting go of the rest with gratitude.
What is Christian minimalism?
Living a Christian life is all about following Jesus. It is about recognizing the good news of why He came and finding joy because of the cross.
Christian minimalism is taking inventory of your life and rejecting anything that doesn’t align with God or bring you closer to Him. It is asking yourself “What do I value?” and realizing that value only comes from God.
Christian Minimalism asks, “Does this glorify God?” instead of “Does this spark joy?”
It helps answer the questions “Why do you believe you are here, and what do you believe you are here to do?”.
Practical application of Christian Minimalism
For many people, the clutter in their life is overwhelming. They begin to lose sight of what matters to them because all they can see is the walls of stuff they have built.
The idea of minimalism is intriguing because it enables them to live the life they want. Whether it be more time for hobbies, space for friends, or money for vacations, minimalism sounds like the key to happiness.
Christian minimalism takes this further by aiming to draw you closer to God through decluttering.
Christian minimalism is the tool to help you grow in your relationship with Christ by helping you focus on Him, teaching you to be a good steward of what He has entrusted you, and enabling you to live a life of service.
What Christian Minimalism is not
Christian minimalism is not a decluttering method that replaces your need for Christ. It is not a check on your list to holiness. And it is not a factor in your salvation.
Christian minimalism is an incomplete solution to the problem of clutter and overwhelm that you may feel.
It will never be enough to give you the peace you desire. In your search for something meaningful, you can completely empty your life from everything, but if you never fill your life with God, you will continue to wander endlessly.
What Christians Minimalism is:
If minimalism does not bring you closer to God, then minimalism does not do anything for you. If God is not who you most value, then minimalism has failed. But if God is what you most value, then minimalism can be a tool to declutter everything that gets in the way and takes time away from God.
Focusing on God
In an attempt to free you from a focus on material possessions, minimalism inadvertently makes those possessions the focus of your life. Although it claims to set you free by no longer having to think about what you own, you become engrossed in the thoughts of owning too much and needing to downsize more.
If you do not start your minimalism journey with a clear, Biblical outlook, your attempt will be in vain. Yes, you may succeed in downsizing your home, freeing time from cleaning, and being able to put your groceries on the kitchen table when you arrive home from the store. But you will not succeed in what truly matters.
We can only find true contentment and joy in the simple things in this life when we are first focused on God.
Minimalism is all about simplifying your life and possessions so that they no longer own you. Christianity is all about knowing that our life is not our own because it has already been bought with a price. If you are so focused on your things, that you can’t see God, then that is a problem. It is a problem if you have too much clutter, but it is also a problem when your focus becomes downsizing the clutter.
The Parable of the rich fool
In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus tells the story of the rich fool. A man comes to Jesus, wanting Him to command his brother to split the inheritance evenly. In response, Jesus tells the man to be on his guard against greed. For “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
It does not matter how much you store up for yourself on this earth. The only thing that matters is your relationship with God. Is your focus on God throughout the day, or are you overwhelmed by your abundance of possessions?
Choosing what matters
What matters most to you? Who do you live for? What brings you joy throughout the day? What kind of life do do want to live? And what kind of person do you want to be?
These are all questions that you must ask yourself before you start the process of minimizing your life. Otherwise, you will be without direction. Your hard work will be without any lasting value because your daily habits will not change.
If Minimalism is simplifying your life so that you have time for what matters, Christian minimalism is choosing to live with less because you are seeking Jesus first.
What matters to you?
Reflecting what we value
Whether you realize it, your life is a reflection of what you value. When people see your actions, they see how you love (or don’t). And when they see your home, they see the things you value.
As Christians, everything we are and everything we have should be a reflection of God. Everything we do should be with a kingdom focus.
Our purpose is to honor God and serve Him, bringing glory to Him in everything.
Christian Minimalism is the “How”
Colossians 3:1-2 tells us to set our hearts and minds on things above, not on earthly things. This can be a difficult practice when you are surrounded and overwhelmed by your possessions.
Minimalism does a great job of giving you tools to overcome the overwhelm. It equips you with tools to be content with today. But only as long as you don’t forget the eternal focus of why you are practicing minimalism.
Minimalism is choosing what to place your focus on. Christian living is choosing to place your focus on God. If Christianity is the “why,” minimalism is the “how”.
Being good Stewards
One of the benefits of minimalism is that having less means wasting less. And wasting less falls in line with being a good steward.
The Parable of the bags of gold
The first way to be a good steward is to take care of what we already own. In the Parable of the Bags of Gold, a man going on a journey entrusted his wealth to his three servants. To one servant he gave five bags, one he gave two, and the last received only one. When he returned from his journey, he wanted to know how his servants stewarded his money.
The first and second servants put the money to work and gained double, while the third servant buried his in a hole.
The first two servants were faithful. They worked hard with what they were given, resulting in an increase in wealth and responsibility. But the third servant was lazy. Instead of doing the bare minimum with what he was given, he let it sit, untouched and forgotten.
Caring for what we already have
Are you like the first two servants, who put what they have been entrusted with to work? Or are you like the last servant, who hoards and buries, making what you have been entrusted with useless?
Do you own just what you need, faithfully using what you have and not endlessly wasting resources? Or do you have an abundance of possessions that get buried under each other, making themselves useless because you can never find what you need when you need it?
Not acquiring more than we need
Christian minimalism isn’t just thanking items for their service to us, but learning to stop and pray before we purchase items. It is about being a conscious consumer so that we don’t waste time and finances on things we don’t need.
The art of simplifying your home isn’t just so that you can bring in more possessions and throw out the old. Instead of continuously needing the next best thing, learn to be content with what you already have.
Contentment
One of the greatest aspects of Christianity and minimalism is learning to be content with what you have. 1 Timothy 6:7-8 tells us that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
Are you content with what you have? or are you always searching for the next best deal or newest gadget?
Hebrews 13:5 tells us why we can be content, even with few worldly possessions: “For God has said, never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” In fact, there are so many wonderful verses that point to us being content and resting secure in God’s faithfulness instead of own own merit or worth. And that is the secret to Christian minimalism: you don’t need to be drowning is stuff when you are content with what you already have.
Storing up treasure
One of the biggest reasons that your house is so cluttered is the “just in case” rule. You keep things “just in case” you need then someday. Or “just in case” it might miraculously become valuable. You hold on to something “just in case” it may bring you joy someday instead of living a life of joy today.
Matthew 6:19-21 instructs us to not “store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and rust destroy, but to store up treasures in heaven” How much time do you spend cleaning and looking after material possessions to make sure they don’t get ruined? Instead, you could use that time to build relationships with God and other people.
Service
There’s no way around it: owning possessions requires time for upkeep. One of the biggest benefits of Christian minimalism is simplifying your life so you have more time to serve others.
Sending out the twelve
In Matthew 10, Jesus is giving instructions to His disciples to send them out to teach the good news to others. One thing He says is to take no gold or silver, “and no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff.”
Jesus did not want His disciples to be consumed with material things. If you are waiting to have just the right pair of shoes, the perfect Bible, or take the best ministering class, you will always find another excuse to not share the gospel.
Instead, be less concerned about the supplies for the journey, and more concerned with the people you’ll take with you.
Sharing with others
Christian minimalism allows you to be more generous with others. By freeing you of the need to buy the next new thing, you will have more room in your budget to meet the needs of others.
Romans 12:13 says “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” There are two commands in this verse.
The first is to share with those in need. John the Baptist talks about how you can practically share with others. “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same” (Luke 3:11). As you practice only owning what you truly need, you will begin to see a lot of practical opportunities to share with others.
The second command is to practice hospitality. Isaiah 58:7 shows the kind of hospitality that God desires for us to have. To “share food with the hungry, shelter for the wanderer, clothe the naked, and not turn away your own flesh and blood.”
How often have you failed to open up your home in hospitality because you were too afraid to have others see the mess it was in?
How can you practice Christian Minimalism today?
When a rich man approached Jesus asking what he must do to enter heaven, Jesus replied “Sell everything you have and give to the poor” (Mark 10:21). Although this is not a command to all people, Jesus told the man this because He knew that worldly possessions were the most important thing in this man’s life. They were his idol.
Jesus could never have his heart because he had already given it to his possessions.
God isn’t as concerned with what you own, but what owns you.
How can you practice Christian minimalism today, focusing on God instead of your possessions?
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