Too Much Stuff?

“John answered, ‘Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same’” Luke 3:11

    “One of the best benefits of embracing a minimalist lifestyle is there’s less stress. You don’t have debt hanging over your head. There’s less hurry to make more money to buy the next thing coming out. Less stress leads to a more healthy lifestyle.” –Pastor Joshua Becker

    It is amazing how much larger your house seems with less needless things piled around it.

    I believed the hard part about removing clutter would be letting go of things. Yet it was on one of our first trips to Goodwill that I realized the hard part was contemplating just how much money I had wasted over the years on the unnecessary clutter.

    We clutter up our lives with many needless things. We worry too much, we stress too much, and let our imaginations get filled with fear of things that never come to pass. The corners of our minds get crowded with dread, doubt, and discouragement. We need mental and emotional house cleaning.

    We must constantly weigh the benefits of the things we bring into our lives, and the content with which we fill up our lives. It is easy to spot needless worry and fear. Fear-producing programs on television, or the people around us who bring about useless discouragement and negativity. Yet it can be very hard to discipline ourselves away from activities or associations that clutter our lives and draw down our already limited resources. Yet sometimes less is more.

    I challenge you to consider the many things in your life that are taking up your energy, your necessary resources. How much clutter can you remove to make your life better?

    Prayer: Dear Lord, we fill our lives with needless things, help us to instead fill ourselves with You! Amen.

When Small Things Add Up

“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?” Zechariah 4:10

    I hadn’t given much thought to small change–those quarters and nickels, dimes and pennies. I just toss my pocket change into a plastic jug beside my bed. But I got curious about how much change was in that jug, so I took it to a Coinstar machine to cash it in. I was surprised when it added up to a considerable amount of money.

    Lots of little things in our lives can add up to much bigger things, both good and bad.

    Continued bickering can add up to serious marriage issues. Endless griping and complaining can lead us into discouragement.

    Contrariwise, freely handing out compliments can encourage others and strengthen relationships. Finding the glass half full instead of half empty can lead to a positive outlook on life.

    Those who suffer affliction have often discovered that small things can add up to good or bad outcomes. Too many health issues flaring at once can lead to serious challenges for us. Too much negativity can quickly pull us down, weakening us further. Yet when one or more of our ailments improve, or when something positive enters our lives, it can drastically improve our situation.

    I don’t want to overlook the small things in life, whether good or bad. I don’t want to take the small blessings for granted. Nor do I want continued complaining and griping to add up and turn me sour or bitter.

   No longer do I take pocket change for granted. I know what it can add up to. Neither do I want to take any blessings for granted, for they can add up to a very blessed life.

    Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the large and small blessings in life. Help us to appreciate every blessing. Amen.

Pleasing God Instead Of People

On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 1 Thess. 2:4

There is a Western Movie that I have long forgotten the title of, but I remember one particular scene. A fellow rides up and comes across a large number of gray soldiers. It is the time of the American Civil war, and this man who comes upon the soldiers begins to praise the South and the Confederacy thinking it will be pleasing to them. Only when the soldiers begin to shake off the gray trail dust does he discover his mistake. Under all that gray dust covering are soldiers dressed in blue uniforms. They are Federal Union Soldiers and not Confederates as he incorrectly assumed.

We make a mistake when we try to be people pleasers rather than seeking what pleases God instead. Those two things do not always align. Some action or activity may be acceptable and approved by those around us, even by some Christians, yet we know in our hearts and consciences that the Lord does not approve of it.

In words, actions, and even in our thoughts we can become misaligned with the will of God. We need to examine our hearts and minds to be sure we are in alignment with God’s will, pleasing Him, even if it causes displeasure to those around us.

In the southern part of the USA there is a thing called “Southern Hospitality”. It is very real. Having grown up around lots of older southern people and southern relatives, it is unthinkable to them to displease a guest, or make their guest uncomfortable in any way. This phenomena is not carried out in other portions of the USA where you may find just the opposite attitude to any given situation. But Southern Hospitality is a kind of “given grace” even when the guests are themselves inconsiderate and displeasing in many ways.

People pleasing comes naturally to some people, and it is a natural reaction to want to be kind and friendly toward everyone. But that does not mean we should ever “just go along” with anyone or every sort of socially aaccepted actions and behavior. No, not when those actions take us outside of God’s Will for our lives and when such actions can destroy our witness for Christ.

We must remain steadfast in our allegiance and adherence to Jesus Christ no matter what others might expect of us. When we can please others and remain in good standing with Jesus that is a wonderful thing. But when others would pull us away, or our own desire to please others could lead us astray from Jesus, it is time to take our eyes off of others and fix them securely upon our Risen Lord instead.

Life presents us with many challenges. One of those challenges is to avoid always “going along with the crowd”. For that crowd may be diametrically opposed to God’s Will for our lives and their own lives. We who have committed ourselves to Jesus cannot maintain a Dual Allegiance. You cannot serve Two Masters.

Prayer: Dear Lord, it is difficult to withstand the ire of the crowd, to displease others. Yet let us never side with others against You or Your Will for our lives. Amen.