Is your life bogged down with STUFF?

[Trust & Obey]

Is your life bogged down with too much STUFF!

As you look at the way you spend your time do you find that much of what you are occupied with is of no eternal value?

We all have family responsibilities as well as mundane things that need to be done in life (cook, clean, repair, etc.), but are there some things that you are doing that could just as easily be forsaken?

Electronics is a big issue with me. I need to read the instruction manuals for my new cell phone and digital camera... there are endless things that "need to be done" on the internet. Even time on Worthy gets excessive for me. I have one of those personalities.

I think we should all take a periodic inventory of our lives and determine what things are needful and what things would be best cast overboard. How much time is taken away from God and family by things that are unnecessary?

[bobo81]

I agree

It seems like when I finish something Satan tries to distract me away from spending time with the Lord by bringing up more "stuff-2-do". He gets me a lot there.

There is no worse feeling than promising the Lord you will spend time with him more but end up doing something else like watching a movie or surfing the net. So dissappointing.

[jesussaves]

Sometimes I just feel the need to get away from everyone and everything and be alone with the Lord for a time. I call it my "going on the mountain time." Jesus did that, and we need to as well. It is wonderful. It is refreshing and it strengthening to our spirits.

You may encounter people who are agast at the thought of you actually needing to be alone sometimes, but believe me, it is worth pushing past their responses and just having needful time away from it all enjoying a few quiet days alone with the Father.

Those cluttered days will surface again, but that is when I lay it all down and get away with Him again. We cannot keep giving out all the time and not get drained.

We need those refreshing times in church, and we need those "going to the mountain days."

[O'Dannyboy]

"going to the mountain" days. I like that idea. A while back I keapt thinking how nice it would be to go to the park and sit under a tree reading or listening to the Bible on CD. But then I think how much more enjoyable it would be to have a few friends there with me. Either way I like the whole idea of getting away, even from the things of man, for a spell and give yourself over to him completely.

[peaches]

There is no worse feeling than promising the Lord you will spend time with him more but end up doing something else like watching a movie or surfing the net. So dissappointing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

literally, i am guilty of all those things....i just finished watching a movie and i was supposed to go to my room but i came here instead.

i hope tomorrow morning i will come in here with an awesome testimony or something about my bible study that i am gonna start in five minutes (after i shut up nature's call).

[Keith]

Trust & Obey, I always get very excited when I hear from other people who realize this. I think it's an important topic for Christians. We live in a world that is obsessed with instant gratification and over-stimulation. Fast and furious living is difficult to slow down. People feel guilty if they aren't "doing" something. As someone once said, "We are human BEings, not human DOings."

The 90's seemed to be the decade of get more, buy more, have more and be happy!!! In the last few years, we've come to realize that this doesn't make us happy either. The trend now has been to simplify and scale down our lives. Even though this is a good thing, in my opinion, without Christ, society will not be happy with this either. That's the rub. The happiness and fulfillment everyone is searching for can only be found in Jesus. Don't you wish they would just realize this?

I scaled-down and simplified my life years ago and it's one of the best things I've ever done! I enjoy living simply. I still struggle a bit with managing my time every now and then, but it's a process, isn't it? As of this month, I've been one year without television. Not so much as a local channel. For me, this was a great decision! Now, I only have NetFlix, so I watch what I want, when I want. I'm not a slave to the TV schedule. I also scaled-down on my possessions and found that I'm happier living minimumly. I have a cell phone, that isn't always on, and cancelled my land line. My bills now are minimal.

I applied the concept to every area of my life. I took the time to examine and evaluate where I was emotionally, physically, possession-wise, and spiritually. Again, it's worked very well for me.

The important thing to remember is that life has a tendency to creep in and distract us again. Yes, the bills must be paid, the errands need to be done and schedules need to be kept, but those things shouldn't revolve around our time with God. I think it's important to plan these things around our time with God. And include Jesus in those things.

Time away from everything is a great idea. I just came back to Worthy after being gone for two months. I spent that time just being with God, receiving and growing. All of my friends know that I do this periodically. It's usually just a few days to a week, but this time it was the Lord who created the time frame!

I'm sorry if I got a little long-winded here! It's just a subject that I happen to be a little more than passionate about!

I'd enjoy hearing other people's ideas on how they simplify their lives. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for parents!

[Catsmeow]

As you look at the way you spend your time do you find that much of what you are occupied with is of no eternal value?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Trust: YES! That's why I'm not online very often anymore. Generally speaking, I take about a day a week and post away....but the rest of the week is spent in the Word and prayer.

I had to make some major changes in how I prioratize my time.

Bless you for bringing this up.

[Keith]

Trust: YES! That's why I'm not online very often anymore. Generally speaking, I take about a day a week and post away....but the rest of the week is spent in the Word and prayer.

I had to make some major changes in how I prioratize my time.

Bless you for bringing this up. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ditto all the way....

[EricH]

Ouch, this hurts