I have two quotes on my walls in my home, one of which is, “. . . choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 ..and though it is only me now, I live by that Scripture. The other quote or rather word is “Simplify.”
I prefer simplicity, from attire to decor. I don’t like bills, not that any do, but I pay as I go to avoid getting bills in the mail. I have found that clearing away the unnecessary helps me focus on those things that are essential in life. A minimalist at heart, and it’s not a life without possessions, but only those things which I need, and has helped me to focus more on where I am going. It has been said that every possession we have becomes a burden. I believe there is an element of truth to that statement. We get caught up in the things of this world, become distracted, and before we realize it, we are off track spiritually.
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” Matthew 6:25-26
Think of how many things you enjoy in life, that give you pleasure. Family, children, a child’s laughter, golden sunrises and sunsets, flowers, trees, wildlife, butterflies, worshiping God with our brothers and sisters in Christ, studying His Word, a meal with our loved ones, a pleasant night’s rest. All of these pleasurable gifts that God gives us to enjoy, “if” we stop, and take time to enjoy them. Very simple pleasures, but so valuable to the enjoyment of our lives.
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?” Matthew 7:11
Our Lord was a simple Man. His focus was on pleasing His Father in every thing that He did while on earth. He always put Himself last. From His birth, and being laid in a manger to His death, and being buried in someone else’s tomb, His life was simple. His clothing simple, and yet a hugely successful life He lived.
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I Am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7
“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.” Matthew 8:20
Steve Jobs from Apple Computer said it well regarding simplicity: “Focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
Let us always remember, and be grateful to Him for the simple things in life, that He gives so richly and abundantly for us to enjoy, and for those that have been faithful to Him, a far better life in Heaven.
“For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.” II Corinthians 1:12
“He was born in an obscure village. He grew up in another village where He worked in a carpenter’s shop until He was 30. Then for three years He became a wandering preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn’t go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where He was born. He never did any of those things one associates with greatness. He had no credentials but Himself.
He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to His enemies, and went through a mockery of a trial. He was executed by the state. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property He had on earth. When He was dead He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Twenty one Centuries have come and gone, and today He is the Central figure of the human race, and the leader of mankind’s progress All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that One Solitary Life.” ~James Francis
Eileen Light