The Simple Life; Appreciating That Which the Lord Freely Gives To All

“…For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45 E.S.V)

Now when Alexander [the Great] appeared before the Greek leaders in Corinth they greeted him warmly and paid him lavish compliments- all of them, that is but one; a funny fellow, a philosopher named Diogenes. According to him, possessions and all the things we think we need only serve to distract us and get in the way of our simple enjoyment of life. So he had given away everything he owned and now sat, almost naked, in a barrel in the market square in Corinth where he lived, free and independent like a stray dog.

Curious to meet this strange fellow, Alexander went to call on him. Dressed in shining armor, the plume on his helmet waving in the breeze, he walked up to the barrel and said to Diogenes: 'I like you. Let me know your wish and I shall grant it.' Diogenes, who had until then been comfortably sunning himself, replied: 'Indeed, Sire, I have a wish.' 'Well, what is it?' 'Your shadow has fallen over me. I have nothing to ask but that you would remove to the other side, that you may not, by intercepting the sunshine, take from me what you cannot give”. Alexander is said to have been so struck by this that he said: 'If I weren't Alexander, I should like to be Diogenes.'

The sun symbolizes the power of the Lord and the rain his benevolence to us all. Do you appreciate this power and glory enough to exult over these natural things that come free to us or do you seek first and foremost the trappings of the world and what it offers? Romans 1:20 says we have no excuse for not recognizing Gods power, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse”. No one, even a great king like Alexander deserves this honor. He cannot give what only the Lord can provide; the means to life. In appreciation of this, Jesus, the prophets and Christ’s disciples lived a simple life; a thought worth considering. “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak”.  ~Hans Hofmann.