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LAWS OF LIFE
We are living in an age of ecological crisis. All are called to work to resolve this crisis. The words of Jesus can be figuratively understood to have anticipated the ecological crisis. The statement of Jesus plainly put is: "Do not carry stuff." We are called to live lightly in our world. We must work to thin our stuff. Below I provide 8 principles to thin out our stuff. The stuff is that excessive baggage. The principles are: (1) recognize that God is the source of your bread; (2) thank God for the bread; (3) make use of a few bread; (4) do not make bread into a stuff; (5) share the bread; (6) gather the fragments; (7) work for the bread; (8) and do not work 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for bread. Principles 1 and 2 can add up to make the single principle of gratitude; 3 and 4 can add up to make the principles of simplicity/lightness; 5 and 6 can add up to make accountability/preservation; and, 7 and 8 can make up the principle of work, rest and contemplation. Bread stands for food and every material possession that we have. Every good gift comes from God. James 1:17. In Israel's national anthem in Deuteronomy 26:10, they acknowledged that God gave their harvest. When we pray in the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:11, "give us today our daily bread," we acknowledge God is the giver of our bread. The first thing that Jesus did whenever he took bread is to give thanks to God for the bread. Mark 14: 22. In order not to turn what you have into stuff, know that God gave them to you and you ought to use them according to God's will. There is much injustice in the world. We should be instruments to help to reduce and eventually eliminate the injustice. We can do this in our daily action and habit. Do not stuff up or store bread away to simply admire it. Give away your bread to the hungry. A rich fool that stuffed away his bread, died that night. Luke 12:16-19. In Exodus 16: 4-30, the people of Israel were instructed to just collect enough for themselves. They were to have others in mind. They were to leave something for their neighbors to pick up. The principle of simplicity moves us to the principle of accountability, generosity and preservation. Do not waste bread. Share your bread with others. Make use of materials things always in prudence and temperance. What you store away belong to those who have nothing to live on. Jesus affirmed generosity when he said: "When I was hungry, you gave me food to eat." Matthew 25: 35. Do not waste things. Pick them up and give them to others. John 6: 12. We are called to work for the bread that sustains us in life. Destroy laziness from your life. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:28, "Those who steal should steal no more but work for the bread they need and from it be generous to others." As we work for bread we are called not to work for bread 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. We must have a Sabbath in our life. We must have time for rest, relaxation, re-creation and contemplation. Our time of re-creation and contemplation takes us back to principles 1 and 2 of knowing God gave the bread and so we are thankful for it. That is the time to truly know that humans do not live by bread alone but by every words that comes from the mouth of God. Potentiality Action Key The bread you have is not to be stuffed away but to be served to others.
TAKE MY WORD TO THE WORLD.
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