Tag Archive | Steve Jobs

I prefer simplicity, from attire to decor.

Jun13

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

How many times have you heard or said this phrase?

Jan13

“It doesn’t matter.” How many times have you heard or said that phrase? We say this so often that we never stop to think what we are saying. …but when it comes to matters of principle, Truth in God’s Word, then it matters.

Over the last number of years in America, and where or when it happened, I don’t know, but somewhere along the way “things” just started not to matter so much to us any longer. Doesn’t seem to matter to us any longer how we dress, our speech has become careless, what movies we attend, what music we listen to, what television shows we view, what magazines we read, what books we read, who we vote for, who our associates are, the places we go, and on it goes…… There is even web site about how people dress when they go to Walmart. I can certainly say people are careless in their dress at that store. I see women scantily clad, tattoos all over them and in places that they want you to see, abbreviated clothing, see through clothing, low cut clothing. Exposing themselves to the world and enticing men to lust. I have heard men at work speak of women being scantily clad as they bring their children to school. I have seen on the campuses where I live young ladies wearing pajamas. I am simply amazed at that. Who would have ever believed this? In America? Within the Lord’s church? What parent would buy, much less allow their daughters to be so scantily attired?

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” I John 2:16-17

We have allowed Hollywood and the music world to dictate and influence us as a people and even within the Lord’s church, in some places, I have heard that elders have had to caution women in their attire. Men serving the Lord’s supper were seeing all manner of dress.

“To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed.” Titus 2:5

“But ye are a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” I Peter 2:9

In my hand I have a Jury Summons that states, “Proper Clothing Required: All persons entering the courtroom should be dressed in clothing reasonably befitting the dignity and solemnity of the court proceedings. Shorts and tank tops are not allowed.”

How sad that in our society some have to be told to dress appropriately for any event. A couple of years ago when I was summoned to court a young woman came into the courtroom dressed in a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and short, shorts. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. They sent her home with the warning to come back appropriately attired.

One of the saddest quotes on the state of America is:

“When you’re young, you look at television and think. There’s a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That’s a far more depressing thought. Conspiracy is optimistic. You can shoot them! We can have a revolution! But the networks are really in business to give the people what they want. It’s the truth.”

Steve Jobs, Apple Computer

Sobering and eye opening, if not embarrassing, Steve Jobs assessment of our culture in America.

“It doesn’t matter. Say that often enough, and pretty soon your whole life becomes, “It doesn’t matter.”

Eileen Light