“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” 1Jo3.16 NKJV
The other day Brenda and I watched the old movie, “The 300 Spartans.“ Afterward, we were discussing the meaning of the word "Spartan." To be Spartan is to live disciplined and frugal, to possess only the basic necessities. It is a commitment to live meager, plain, and simple. Such an austere existence has its advantages even attractions. Many have been drawn to the utter simplicity described in “Walden’s Pond.”
Now laying down our pursuit of material possessions is not the same thing as laying down our lives to love others. It is better that I have possessions and share them, than it is to take pride in having few possessions and keep them to myself. For years, I took silly pride in not wearing a watch, or carrying a wallet. Not having a wallet certainly kept me superficially frugal but it also meant that I had no money to give to the homeless man holding out his hand at Wal-mart. I could truthfully tell him I had nothing to give, at least nothing to give on me. Nothing lost but certainly nothing gained either, and in this instance, nothing gained is great loss. If I choose to live frugal, let it be so that I may give, not gain some foolish notion about myself.
Keeping to ourselves, and doing our neighbor no harm is not the same as loving them. So also is one who manages his money well but who also manages not to share it. It is easy to substitute “do no harm” in the place of Christ’s mandate to do good to your neighbor. 4/6/07 ts
Just me trying to be honest with God.
