Counsel #11 — Home Furnishings

Picture: Counsel #11 — Home FurnishingsCWe 163.1

Forget the fancy furniture! Our obsession with elaborate and expensive stuff takes away from the joy of our homes. Not only does it drain your wallet, but it creates a burden of constant cleaning, maintenance, and stress about damage. Focus on simple, durable pieces that are easy to care for and won't break the bank if they need replacing. With a little creativity and good taste, you can make even a simple home feel warm and inviting, especially when it's filled with love and contentment (see 1 Timothy 6:10).^{[173]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3iBzsE5VEY&ab_channel=FTBMINISTRY}CWe 163.2

“God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20, 21 NKJVCWe 163.3

“An expensive dwelling, elaborate furnishings, display, luxury, and ease, do not furnish the conditions essential to a happy, useful life…. Elaborate and expensive furnishings are a waste not only of money, but of that which is a thousandfold more precious. They bring into the home a heavy burden of care and labor and perplexity.” Ellen White in The Ministry of Healing, pp. 365, 367CWe 163.4

Reflect: How can we distinguish between essential furnishings that meet our needs for utility as well as beauty and excessive possessions driven by consumerism?CWe 163.5