Day 15 - Monday, October 26th
LIFE Journal
This Week's Memory Verse
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18
Devotional
Besides the noise from our busy schedules, unlimited technological distractions, and constant ding of our email, there is another kind of noise that can affect our ability to hear from God. It used to be that we were all trying to keep up with Jones’, but nowadays, it seems like we have to keep up with HGTV, Pinterest, and the Apple Store. We are inundated with images of the latest and greatest. Our feeds are full of new design ideas. Our homes are overflowing with so much stuff, we need to buy more stuff just to organize what we have and when that doesn’t cut it, we have to rent storage units for all the overflow.
This tendency to hoard and store as much as we can just in case we need it has always been a struggle. Lives riddled with too much has always been a thing. Jesus knew that our eyes would tempt us to more and more, while our souls would slowly leak from an abundance of treasures.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:19-20 NIV
The world’s trend nowadays towards minimalism shows that people are starting to realize that stuff can never fill our God sized hole. While minimalism isn’t necessarily based in the principles of Christ, the discipline of learning to live simply, is. Jesus reminded us that we shouldn’t try to amass wealth to be used for our own glory, but for His.
Stuff and money aren't the enemy, but our attitudes and actions can reveal what exactly sits atop the altars of our hearts. What does your closets and spending habits say about what you’re storing up? How can simplicity keep things in their right place?
Think On These Verses:
A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life. Proverbs 13:7 The Message
A simple life in the Fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches. Proverbs 15:16 The Message
Ask and Answer:
Take a little inventory. Are you more into collecting and storing earthly treasures or heavenly ones? What does your home and spending say about your heart? How do you try to fill the God sized hole in your heart? How could living more simply help you to hear from God more?
This tendency to hoard and store as much as we can just in case we need it has always been a struggle. Lives riddled with too much has always been a thing. Jesus knew that our eyes would tempt us to more and more, while our souls would slowly leak from an abundance of treasures.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:19-20 NIV
The world’s trend nowadays towards minimalism shows that people are starting to realize that stuff can never fill our God sized hole. While minimalism isn’t necessarily based in the principles of Christ, the discipline of learning to live simply, is. Jesus reminded us that we shouldn’t try to amass wealth to be used for our own glory, but for His.
Stuff and money aren't the enemy, but our attitudes and actions can reveal what exactly sits atop the altars of our hearts. What does your closets and spending habits say about what you’re storing up? How can simplicity keep things in their right place?
Think On These Verses:
A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life. Proverbs 13:7 The Message
A simple life in the Fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches. Proverbs 15:16 The Message
Ask and Answer:
Take a little inventory. Are you more into collecting and storing earthly treasures or heavenly ones? What does your home and spending say about your heart? How do you try to fill the God sized hole in your heart? How could living more simply help you to hear from God more?
Prayer
Lord, we live in a time and place where bigger and more is always the answer. Help me to worship you, the Creator, instead of the created. Show me how I can live more simply and focus my heart on gaining treasures that will never end up in a landfill. Amen.