This weekend my wife Ruthie and I are having a yard sale. For weeks we (well, mostly Ruthie) have been clearing out our bedrooms, closets, bookshelves, cabinets, crawlspace and more. It’s amazing how much stuff accumulates over time. Every now and then we have to de-clutter and simplify!
Sometimes we have to take the same approach to our life as a whole. Why? “For to me to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). That was the apostle Paul’s testimony, and we like to think that it’s ours also. But other priorities and pursuits clutter our lives and crowd out Christ.
So de-clutter your life for Christ’s sake!
I say that with the utmost reverence. In 2 Corinthians 11:3, Paul warns us not to be “led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” When that happens, we feel stressed instead of blessed. That’s then we know it’s time to start cutting out activities and commitments that lead to spiritual distraction rather than devotion.
Once we de-clutter our lives, we will experience benefits like becoming less busy and more organized. These are wonderful blessings, but they are secondary. As Don Whitney notes,
We prune activities from our lives, not only to get organized, but also that our devotion to Christ and service for His kingdom will be more fruitful. We simplify, not merely to save time, but to eliminate hindrances to the time we devote to knowing Christ. All the reasons we simplify should eventually lead us to Jesus Christ.
I benefited greatly from reading Don Whitney’s biblical and practical book, Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed. This resource was a real encouragement and help to me, so I commend it to you. Just like my wife and I go through our house and consult one another on what we should keep and what needs to go, Don Whitney comes alongside of us as a wise friend and helps us to evaluate and simplify our spiritual life.
My wife and I aren’t making a lot of money on our yard sale, but at least we’re de-cluttering and reorganizing our house. But the return you’ll get on de-cluttering your life and getting your spiritual house in order is priceless. Nothing is more rewarding than a life of simple devotion to Christ! So why not start simplifying your life today?