The saying “more or less” is a phrase that gets used to express vagueness. For example, I stood in line for an hour, more or less. It is a common idiom used in our society when we need to guess something but are unsure of the exact amount. But, I want to look at these two words differently today. I want to explore them in the context of is more better than less? So, let’s jump in.
Wanting More
Here, in our society, we hear that more is better. Advertising stresses the importance of more. We want more information and more stuff. Along the same vein, we demand information faster too. Also, we define our successes based on the amount of (blank) that we have or own. For example, I am tempted to measure my success as an author by the number of books sold. But when does that desire become a problem for the Christian person.
Biblical View
Possessions are not the problem. Instead, the problems arise when we define life by what we own instead of God’s criterion. As I mentioned in my blog last week, God wants to give us good gifts. But, what does God say about accumulating stuff?
- Luke 12:15; “He told the people, “Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions.”
- 1 John 2:16-17; “For everything that is in the world—the desire for fleshly gratification, the desire for possessions, and worldly arrogance—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world and its desires are fading away, but the person who does God’s will remains forever.”
- Ecclesiastes 6:9; “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless like chasing the wind.”
Happy with Less
When our desires for stuff overtake our passion for the things of God, we will stumble in our faith. God looks at the heart to determine if our wants are healthy. So, what are some healthy desires God wants us to display?
- Psalm 37:4; “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
- Matthew 6:33; “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
- Proverbs 3:6; “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Contentment
The Bible shows us that contentment comes from delighting, seeking, and acknowledging God with our lives. While greed will only bring us strife, division, and separation. We need to learn to find happiness in less, not more. God promises to provide all we need when we put Him first. 2 Corinthians 9:8 tells us, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
This week, let’s aim to find our happiness in less material things and more God things. God Bless you this week as you strive to seek God’s Kingdom first.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, Your Name is to be honored above all things. Lord, You are great and much to be praised. Today, we lift our voices towards heaven and offer praises to Your Most Holy Name. We thank You for Your marvelous works and Your loving kindness and tender mercies toward us. Thank You for providing us with all the good things we need in life. Lord, You give us more than we deserve. Your mercy endures forever. Amen.
Blessings,
Yvonne M. Morgan, author, blogger, and speaker.
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
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Amen! I find I have the most joy when I have less stuff. My heart is filled with what’s important… Kingdom treasures, not earthly ones.
It does bring a true joy that nothing can take away. Thanks Jessica and God bless
We keep forgetting we’re not in heaven yet. Perfect comfort isn’t found here. Only there.
Great observation Nancy. I appreciate your thoughts. Thanks and God bless
I love this, we doubt our impact because we use our own measuring stick not God’s.Thanks for this wonderful perspective Yvonne!
Thanks Ava. Our measuring sticks don’t work well either. God’s ways are the best. God bless.
Yes – less stuff and more depth to our relationship with God.
And I find these days there’s a direct inverse relationship between the two!
I agree, so much in our world is upside down. We need Jesus. Thanks Ava and God bless
The older I am, the more I realize “stuff” is not so important. Knowing God and living a faith filled life is better than having possessions. 🙂
I am right there with you. I learned that stuff does not make me happy. Only Jesus gives me joy. Thanks Melissa and God bless.
This is a great reminder of the perspective a Christian needs to have. I think about how on the day I leave this earth, I won’t take any of those things with me – only the fruit I accumulated for the Lord.
My dad used to say, “you don’t ever see a uhaul behind a hearse. But I do pray we all have much treasure stored up for us in heaven. Thanks June and God bless
Good thoughts, Yvonne! In our culture, seeking more, having more, thinking we need more is pressed upon us everywhere we turn, online and on television and in the marketing all around us. Stuff won’t make us happy. A simple life focused on Jesus will.
So true Melinda. We could have all the riches of the world and still be unhappy without Jesus. God bless
I love your blog, Yvonne. I love how you say possessions are not the problem, and you would be right. The problem lies within where we find our identity. Things are good to have if we share that with others who have made. Great article!
Thanks so much Marcie. As I get older, this thought has matured. God always provides me with “enough” of what I need. Thanks again and God bless.
Thank you, Yvonne, for this important reminder! It is clear that God’s heart is tender toward the poor and humble. May our hearts and lives reflect His goodness and grace. We are blessed to BE a blessing, not to hoard His blessings. Thank you for this reminder. We need it again and again.
I have to remind myself often too. Thanks Melissa and God bless
“More or less” reminded me of “less is more.” And your message but a great spiritual twist on it. This is good: “ When our desires for stuff overtake our passion for the things of God, we will stumble in our faith.” So true!
Thanks Karen. That saying does confirm how we should live our spiritual life, less is more. It can be a struggle in light of a world that tells us just the opposite. Christ provides what we need. God bless.
Contentment is really important when we are followers of Christ. Thanks for the reminder to be satisfied whatever the state of my life is today. There is a peace when I choose to live this way.
And it is a peace the world does not understand. I think this year is also reinforcing this idea for me. Thanks Diane and God bless.
Great reminder to look to Jesus as our Source of happiness and contentment and not our possessions. Accumulating wealth or knowledge can never satisfy like God can! Blessings! 💗
Thanks Teresa. He is the true source of our joy in this world. I pray for more people to learn this too. Thanks and God bless
I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older… most often, less is more. Thanks Yvonne.
Thanks For commenting. It is a good thing to learn. God bless
More or less, what a wonderful topic. This reminds us to always set our affection on things above and not below, for the latter will surely fade away.
Thank you for this wonder-filled post. I was blessed reading…
Thanks so much Victory. Eternal things will not fade away ever, amen. God bless.
This is so important, Yvonne. People can crave and crave and seek to possess more and more and find heartache and emptiness at the end of it. God alone fills the hole in our hearts.
Yes, He alone fills our needs but so many in our society don’t believe or understand this. Thanks Pam and God bless.
Very thought provoking post and so well written. Thank you … 🙂
Thanks Donna. God bless
Great insights! It can sometimes be a challenge to focus on less especially with social media. I love how you define contentment. I think the root of wanting less is found through gratitude and contentment. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for commenting Mary. I think you are very right in joy comes from gratitude and contentment. God blss
Hi, Yvonne! Thank you so much for this wonderful post. Contentment, humility and seeking God first in everything are the the things that really resonate with me the most as I need to to work on these as well. God bless you and thank you!
Thanks Sheryl. It sounds so easy to do but the world keeps trying to pull us away. God bless
Yes. Yes to less of the world and more of God. Easier said than done but God will always answer us and help us to do exactly that.
Amen Evangeline. With God’s help we can make the change and He can become all we need. Thanks and God bless.
When I finally (which took way too many years) learned the lessons of the scriptures cited in this article, it was such a liberating experience. I felt so free. What we have is a blessing and belongs to the Lord. I don’t take my material possessions for granted, but I also don’t crave to collect material things.
Wonderful to hear Teresa. I learned that a few years ago too. Something good that comes from aging 😀. Now, for gifts, we look at giving experiences that will be remembered for a life time instead of things that fade away (well, except for the grandkids who still get toys). Thanks and God bless
yes girl, we need to find our contentment in the Lord! He is the only one who will never let us down!
Amen and amen. Real contentment only comes from Him and joy will follow. Thanks and God bless
The bible says it and I believe it, godliness with contentment is great gain.
I believe it too. Thanks Betty and God bless.
Such a good reminder of where we find real joy. In God’s presence! And thankfully God is with us always, regardless of what we own.
Amen Rachel. He is always with us. God bless.
Amen! I’ve definitely discovered that the less I have, the more content I seem to become. So good!
Thanks so very much. I feel the same way. God bless.
It is so true that more doesn’t always make us happy. Some of the most meaningful memories in my life were when we had very little.
We learn as live moves forward. I agree that some great memories are from times of little. Thanks Erin and God bless.