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WASTEFULNESS AND FRUGALITY  (in the Light of the Bible) .  WHAT are the thoughts that enter and flash through your mind when the word "waste" is heard? We may think of things being squandered, put to no good use, rendered useless, or even destroyed. We may think of an affluent society, extravagance, and people thoughtlessly being careless and irresponsible with material things (not careful or resourceful in their management and use). Thoughts of big government, big spending and the military may enter our minds. A billboard reads, "A brain is an awful thing to waste." Someone said of former president Clinton in the light of his potential and folly, "What a waste!" The word "waste" makes us think of a wasteland. Television has been called "the great American wasteland." A sick person is said to "waste away." .  Does the Bible have anything to say about waste or being wasteful? Or, to approach this from a positive perspective, does the Bible have anything to say about being frugal or saving? . I. IS IT WRONG TO BE WASTEFUL? . A Self-Evident Truth .  There are certain things that are self-evident. Paul says that nature itself teaches us certain things. In the Bible it is mostly understood and implied that being wasteful is wrong more than being directly stated. However, notice Deuteronomy 20:19 and 20. This is Old Testament, but nonetheless consider the thrust of the thought behind the instructions given here. "When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destory the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man’s life) to employ them in the siege: Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat [food], thou shalt destroy and cut them down: and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued."  . Was the Ointment Wasted? .  Let us take a look at the New Testament. This was toward the end of the ministry of Jesus. We read (Mark 14:3ff), "And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he [Jesus] sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious [expensive]; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?" We glean from this the impression that people commonly had the conviction that waste was wrong. But Jesus reassured them that it was not a wasteful thing that had taken place. Providentially she was getting him ready for his impending death and subsequent burial. . Wasteful Management .  Jesus told a parable involving waste. "And he said unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward" (Luke 16:1,2). Irresponsible management of his master’s household and goods was looked upon as squandering and waste. He was to be held accountable. . A Story of Waste .  The 15th chapter of Luke vividly portrays waste, especially in the story of the prodigal son. We read, "And he [Jesus] said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his field to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him…" (Luke 15:11-32). Here we see waste in terms of material things and in a human life. He "wasted his substance with riotous living." The word translated "wasted" (diaskorpizo) means to run through, scatter, and dissipate. The word translated "riotous" actually comes from the root meaning to save, with the negating "a" in front of it (asotos, i.e. a + sotos, from word for save), which would indicate unsaved (and, interestingly, from this root we get "Savior"). He was reckless and wasteful with his material things as they were expended in unsaved living (like there was no tomorrow). He was throwing his life away. He soon found that the person with extravagant and expensive tastes could see the day when he had little to taste. He was "the last of the big spenders." . Lessons in Frugality .  Looking at this subject from the positive viewpoint, an unforgettable lesson in frugality is seen in the miracles of Jesus feeding the mass multitudes with the loaves and the fishes. In fact, in these two miracles are lessons in compassion and generosity as well as frugality. The feeding of the 5,000 was so impressive that each of the four gospel writers saw fit to include it in his account of the life of Christ (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14ff). The feeding of the 4,000 is found in only two of the gospels (Matthew 15:29-39; Mark 8:1-9). . The Left-Overs Were Saved  .  The miracle of the feeding of 5,000 men, not counting women and children, took place in their being fed by Christ from five loaves and two fish supplied by a little boy. Jesus and his disciples had gone by boat to the northeastern slopes of the Sea of Galilee to escape the overwhelming pressures of a busy ministry (they didn’t even have time to eat) and in quest of a little reprieve and rest. But the multitudes wouldn’t have it that way and excitedly followed him by foot, coming out of the many cities, until they came to where Jesus was. Instead of being disgruntled, being moved with tender feelings of compassion, he taught them and healed them. But now the day was fast fading and empty stomachs have a way of letting a person know that he needs to eat. However, they were in a "desert" place removed from primary sources of food supply. In their excitement of following Jesus they had not looked ahead, except one little fellow was found to have five loaves and two fishes. By the Lord simply taking the lad’s lunch, praying and breaking the loaves and fishes, a momentous miracle took place. Five thousand men, not counting women and children, were fed. It is interesting that twelve small wicker baskets full of fragments were taken up. The leftovers were not thrown away. In the feeding of the 4,000 on another occasion, it is said that seven big baskets were taken up. Later, after the feeding of the 5,000, the disciples would be criticized by the Pharisees from Jerusalem for eating bread with unwashed hands (perhaps referring to the very bread that was left over from the miracle) (Mark 7:1,2ff). However, here is what we want to notice. If God incarnate, who made heaven and earth, practiced frugality, not being wasteful, this must be important and a lesson for us. Let us practice frugality. . II. BEING WASTEFUL AND FRUGAL IN OTHER WAYS . The Slothful Person .  Proverbs 18:9 reads, "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster." We might call the lazy person a twin brother to the great waster. He is in the same family, or a very close kinsman. He is wasting time and the possibilities of useful things that could be accomplished. Proverbs 24:30-34 pictures the wasteful and harmful consequences of being lazy. "I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man." Proverbs 6:6-11 gives similar and further admonitions to the lazy person. "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hand to sleep; So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and they want as an armed man." Any way that you look at it, the lazy person is a wasteful person. .  Doing nothing with the many opportunities and resources placed at our disposal is wrong. It is a great waste. Likewise in the parable of the talents, the man who had received only one talent, but had done nothing with it, is called by our Lord a "wicked and slothful [lazy] servant" (Matthew 25:26), thus also being placed in the category of a great waster (Proverbs 18:9).  . Savings in the Bank of Heaven .  In our diligence and the practice of frugality we are to lay up treasures in heaven by good works in the benevolent use of our material possessions. The Lord admonished in the Sermon on the Mount, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal" (Matthew 6:19,20). On another occasion he told the inquiring rich young ruler, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me" (Matthew 19:21). This is very much like putting our savings in the bank of heaven, thus being eternally frugal and not wasteful. That was really the essence of Paul’s instructions to Timothy as to how he should admonish the wealthy members in the church at Ephesus where he was preaching (1 Timothy 6:17-19). . Wealth, Wasteful Living and  Its Consequence .  The non-slothful person is wasteful, even though he practices frugality, if he only lives for himself. To be self-indulgent, lavishing our wealth unsparingly upon ourselves, is to disregard the Lord’s teachings. Jesus in a parable told of a rich farmer who only lived for himself (Luke 12:16-21). His life was totally egocentric in the accumulation and disposal of his wealth, as he would eat, drink and be merry. Notice the lavish use of the pronoun "I" as he lavished all upon himself. Consequently God said, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." In another story Jesus told about "a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day" (Luke 16:19-31). We know the rest of the story involving this man and Lazarus. The rich man died and in hell lifted up his eyes, being in torment. In this life he had wasted his substance selfishly upon himself, not laying up treasures in heaven, as Lazarus was only given the crumbs that fell from his table. Paul described the self-indulgent widow who lived in luxury, like these rich men just mentioned, with these words, "But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth" (1 Timothy 5:6). They who practice such a life style will find that they have no bank account in heaven when they come to the end of the way. They have lived a wasted life. . Wasting One’s Life and Time .  As earlier intimated in this article, the prodigal son wasted his life as well as his substance. Life is too short to be squandered and wasted. Life is made up of time. The 90th Psalm is pointing out the shortness and frailty of life. The Psalmist, who is thought to be Moses in this case, says, "The days of our years are threescore years and ten [70 years]; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years [80 years], yet is their strength [their boast is only] labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off and we fly away" (verse 10). Then this wise admonition follows: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (verse 12). The apostle Paul in the same vein of thought, exhorts, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15,16). We dare not waste or "kill" time. The person who is killing time is murdering opportunities. "Only one life will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last." . The Embodiment of a Lesson .  In the feeding of the multitudes, as we noticed, Jesus left us a positive lesson in frugality as opposed to wastefulness. Now in another way, like in everything else, we find the embodiment of a lesson in the Lord Jesus Christ himself. While enmeshed in his earthly ministry, the Lord asserted, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work" (John 9:4). Then after the interesting encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said to his disciples, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest" (John 4:34,35). Of another time we read of a similar experience. "When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:36-38). . The Highest Level of Frugality .  Certainly this was frugality from another perspective and on a higher and greater scale. Before the birth of Jesus the angel had announced, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The Lord came in his ministry declaring that "the Son of man is come to save that which was lost" (Matthew 18:11; Luke 19:10). Years later the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…" (1 Timothy 1:15). Now, looking at Christ from the viewpoint of eternity, Hebrews 7:25 states, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Yes, the word "save" in the language of the New Testament, as pointed out in connection with the prodigal son, is just the opposite of "riotous" (unsaved or not saving). The Lord Jesus advanced the highest level of frugality in the saving of souls and points us in that direction. A human life is an awful thing to waste. . <BACK x TheSwordANDStaff