Old Testament: Minor Prophet Intro – found below
Poetry: Psalm 120
*New Testament: Matthew 6
“Where is my ALF? I can’t find him anywhere!”
I was so distraught when I realized that my mom, who kept our small house under control by regularly donating unwelcomed items, had found a new home for my favorite ALF stuffed animal, my prized merchandise from the cheesy late-80s sitcom by the same name. Mom must not have realized how much I enjoyed that stuffy, and I never understood her constant need to purge… until I became a mom.
Now that I am a mom too, I understand! A self-proclaimed reformed packrat, I have a permanent location for a Goodwill bag in my garage that is always ready to accept our rejects. No sooner is it sent to the donation center than another bag begins to fill in that vacant space. Stuff multiplies quicker than rabbits in my house! Some stuff is helpful, but too much of it becomes a burden. With a six-person family, I have to be careful – ruthless, even – about balancing what comes in with getting more out, or our home will be overflowing in no time. Though we were never anywhere near “hoarder status”, throughout the past two years, I have removed close to 50% of the items we owned, and I’m not finished yet. I am searching for simplicity.
My recent mission towards minimalism has strengthened my faith as I learn more of what the Bible says about “stuff.” I would even argue that Jesus was the ultimate minimalist – he had “no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20) and when he sent the disciples out in pairs to minister to communities, he instructed them to “take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt” (Luke 9:3).
The text of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 is full of great minimalist concepts. The simple yet powerful Lord’s Prayer, which begins in verse 9, reminds us to focus on God and trust in Him and His providence rather than ourselves. Then in verses 19-21 (NIV), Jesus steps on our toes by discussing our worldly treasures. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Nothing prepares you to consider your true treasures like a natural disaster. As a resident of the Midwest, I have been rudely awakened by sirens in the middle of the night announcing the threat of a tornado more times than I can count. Since I am a worst-case-scenario person, I’ve thought often of what I would want to save, if possible, in case of a disaster; if I know in advance that the weather is favorable for a funnel cloud, I will move our most precious belongings to the basement in case we don’t have time to grab them. It’s never easy to get the six of us to the basement in a jiffy (it can be challenging enough to bring 4 sleepy children to consciousness suddenly, not to mention a husband who sleeps soundly and disregards the urgency of a tornado warning, certain that it will never happen to us whilst forgetting about the EF-0 that caused roof damage when it spun right over our home a few years ago, but I digress). I grab the smallest child in my arms, yell at all the others to get out of bed while I rush said child to the basement, and then go back upstairs to loudly remind my sleepy stragglers of the critical nature of the situation, all while praying the tornado does not hit our house – at least until all of the humans are safe. If there is time, we may try to grab a few special things from the upper levels, but usually we choose to remain in the safety of the basement since none of the belongings in my home are worth the life of my family.
We all have our terrestrial treasures, and that’s not necessarily wrong, as long as we realize that little of it is of eternal value and we keep our perspective in line with God’s values. Someday, it’s all gonna burn! But it won’t even matter when we dwell with our Savior in the Kingdom in perfect peace.
Lastly, Jesus reminds us not to worry. To one prone to anxiety, this seems an impossible feat; however, it is important that he reminds us that nothing on earth is eternal and we must depend on him for all of our needs. Jesus reminds us that God takes care of the animals and the flowers, so how much more will He care for the humans made in His image? I could never hoard enough to outdo my need for God, and I could never prepare for every possible disaster in life! He challenges us to put our priorities in order by seeking God first, and then trusting that God will meet all of our needs. Jesus wants us to focus on Kingdom work more than our stuff, which can easily tie up our time, money, resources, and energy.
Please note: I am NOT advocating for not taking care of our families and just expecting God to provide all that we need without doing anything. I think these verses are primarily about our attitude towards our stuff and our trust in our Heavenly Father. It is a good idea to try to save money for future needs, stash some food in case of emergency (and toilet paper, of course… remember the TP fiasco of 2020?!), and plan for some problems, because rainy days will come. Is it okay to have possessions? Of course; I enjoy resources just like anyone else. I have a home furnished with items our family uses and needs throughout all four seasons, plus some extras like a comprehensive collection of family board games, a nearly-complete set of Dr. Seuss books, and a handful of manatee souvenirs (hey, we all have our weaknesses!). Pursuing minimalism by getting rid of the excess clutter and unused items while still making sure the current needs of my family are met has helped to simplify my mind so I can be more present with my family, to evaluate wants versus needs so I spend less money, and to free up the mental and physical energy required to manage everything.
Consider how you can simplify your life physically, mentally, and any “other-ly” you can think of, so that you can be more available to do the work God has entrusted to you.
(Oh, and about that ALF stuffed animal… I must have made a big deal about missing it, because my mom replaced it that following Christmas. And yes, I still have it!!!)
Reflection questions:
-Is your stuff weighing you down and taking your focus off the important things of God? How can you simplify?
-Why do you think we tend to overcomplicate prayer when Jesus gave us a simple but powerful template of how to pray?
-If you want to learn more about simplifying your life, I recommend following The Minimal Mom on YouTube. She is a Christian and sometimes shares how her faith influences minimalism. If you want more fantastic faith-based (or just wholesome) resources about simplifying, feel free to contact me at rachel1213@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to share some!
Rachel Cain
Minor Prophets Introduction
The minor prophets include the 12 final books in the Old Testament, including: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi. These books aren’t minor because they are unimportant, they are just shorter than (most of) the major prophets. All of these prophets warned their respective audiences over a period of about 300 years to repent and return to God. Many also contain prophecies of Jesus’ first or second coming, or both.
Hosea shows a parallel between Hosea’s adulterous wife and Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness to God.
Joel talks about the “Day of the Lord” when God will pour out his judgment on wayward people.
Amos was written to prosperous Israel, whom he condemned because of their greed and forsaking justice.
Obadiah pronounced judgment against Edom for helping destroy Jerusalem.
Jonah is probably the most well-known of the minor prophets, telling the story of how Jonah himself initially rebelled against God, but eventually obeyed, and evangelized Nineveh – his mortal enemy.
Micah preached coming judgment for Jerusalem and Samaria because of the unfaithfulness of the people. He also prophesied about the coming Messiah.
Nahum prophesied the doom of Nineveh about 150 years after Jonah, because the people had fallen back into their sinful ways.
Habakkuk contains the prophet’s frustrations that God would use a more wicked nation to punish a more righteous one; but ends with him still rejoicing in the Lord his God despite calamity.
Zephaniah prophesied the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and called the people to return to God. He also prophesied that God would gather a remnant of His people even after He punished them.
Haggai preached after the return from Babylonian captivity, calling the people to rebuild God’s temple in Jerusalem.
Zechariah’s main focus was on the coming Messiah, and Jerusalem’s enemies to eventually be destroyed.
Malachi wrote about 100 years after the return from captivity, and was still encouraging the people to repent and return to God.
Even though these 12 books were written 2500+ years ago, and are fascinating from a historical and prophetic point of view, they are also still relevant today. These prophets preached against hypocrisy, idolatry, and spiritual apathy – messages we need to hear again today.
I’ll close with Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
-Steve Mattison
Seek Grow Love 