Have you ever been in a situation where you've had no access to a lot of the things you previously thought you couldn't live without? Maybe a camping trip, festival, or visit to a remote location left you unable to access wifi, obtain phone reception or consume copious amounts of your favourite foods.
Whatever the experience you've had of living simply, whether by choice or because of circumstances beyond your control, whether for a short time or an extensive one, it's likely that as a result you came to realise more than ever that a lot of the things we assign considerable amounts of time and value to don't actually matter all that much.
This is one of the reasons that God tells us to avoid valuing things which are of importance to society. When we give them great value we can easily become distracted from what really makes our lives worth living, and what should motivate our life choices.
The definition of a full life is not, as some may think, how many possessions we have or how extensive our wealth is but how full we are in our relationship with God.
If you've been caught up in the quest for more and find yourself unsatisfied or just need to refresh your memory as to why a simple life is a full one, let these Bible verses steer you towards a more simple life.
Romans 8:5-6 - Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
John 6:35 - Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
Proverbs 11:4 - Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
Proverbs 13:7-13 - One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. A person's riches may ransom their life, but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes. The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded.
1 Timothy 6:6-9 - But godliness with contentment is great gain. For 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. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
