Pursuing Our Destiny, Part 10—The Discipline of Frugality

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.  In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of plenty and hunger, abundance and need (Philippians 4:11&12, ESV).

So far in this series of Wednesday posts, we’ve considered several abstinence disciplines: solitude, silence, and fasting.  I invite you to think with me this week about another abstinence discipline: frugality.  In our American culture of bigger is better and more is better, many of us need this practice in our lives.

Here is a good working definition of frugality that comes from author Ken Boa: The discipline of frugality refers to a willingness to abstain from the use of our resources for our own gratification and aggrandizement.  A mindset of frugality/simplicity helps us resist the cultural endorsement of extravagance and consumption that entices us away from gratitude, trust, and dependence upon the Lord. 

As I read Boa’s definition, I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words in Colossians 3:1&2: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right had of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Both Boa’s definition and Paul’s admonition speak to the issue of focus and attachment.  The primary intent behind the discipline of frugality—beyond our desire to be conformed to the image of our Savior—is simply to avoid becoming over-attached to a world that is not our home.  Many of us who will read this piece live in relative affluence.  While we’re not rich (although almost everyone in the “two-thirds world” would consider the poorest of us rich), many of us have more than we need.  Because that’s true, we face the danger of neglecting Paul’s instruction in Romans 12:2: Don’t become so well-adjusted to  your culture that you fit into it without even thinking (The Message).

Lest I be misunderstood, let me tell you what frugality isn’t.  Frugality is not stinginess. It is not penny-pinching. It isn’t becoming a miser.  Frugality is not buying only sale items and it isn’t wearing suits or dresses until they wear out.  It isn’t always shopping at discount or second-hand stores.  On the contrary, frugality is choosing to think about our resources and possessions in the context of Jesus’ teaching in Mt. 6:19-24 (Please take time to read this passage!).

In the words of Dallas Willard, In frugality we abstain from using money or goods at our disposal in ways that merely gratify our desires or our hunger for status, glamour, or luxury.  Practicing frugality means we stay within the bounds of what general good judgment would designate as necessary for the kind of life to which God has led us.

The discipline of frugality protects us from self-indulgence, from an unhealthy attachment to the world, and keeps us focused on that which is eternal.  We can begin a life of frugality by asking three questions before we invest our resources.  (1.) Have I prayed before I pay?  (2.) Do I really need what I’m about to pay for, and could I do with a similar but less expensive product?  (3.) What is my motivation for this purchase—need or want, legitimate purpose or pleasure, to honor God and my family or to impress others—and have I brought that motivation before the Lord?

I invite you to join me in thinking about frugality and how God might want to use it in our lives. – Pastor John Strain blogs weekly and is available for pulpit supply. He recently retired from First Baptist of Toms River

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 35-36; Acts 17:1-5

Quote of the day: The ministry of prayer, if it be anything worthy of the name, is a ministry of ardor, a ministry of unwearied and intense longing after God and after his holiness. (E. M.) Bounds

Verse to Memorize: Your promise is well tried and your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. Psalm 119:140-141 ESV