Simplify IV

Luke 14:³³ “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.”

When we come across scriptures like this, we tend to ask ourselves if Jesus meant what He said. That is possibly the most challenging thing Jesus ever said to His disciples. Jesus actually said, “you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” If you have a red-letter Bible, this scripture would be in red. Jesus is simply telling you and me that we cannot be His disciples if we hold on tightly to things. You cannot be a disciple of Jesus if you cannot give up everything you have for God. That is what God is saying. You and I must realize that giving up everything, starts with giving up something.

Someone claims that one day he will give ninety-nine percent of his income to God and take only one percent. How about you start with tithing the ten percent first? Just start. Declutter your life. You desire to take care of the poor one day, right?  Just start with something. Instead of waiting for that future date, start by giving away five of the ten shoes in your wardrobe. So many people cannot even afford to have one shoe. Look into your wardrobe, there are clothes you have not worn in six to eight months. Apart from the things that are heirlooms, everything else can be given away.  Jesus says, “you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” People usually wait for a future time when they can do ‘big’ things. But God is saying, just start with the small things.

If you desire to feed the poor and let’s say you currently eat four meals in a day. Starting now would mean giving up one or two of your daily rations to someone who has none. Start with that. Declutter your life, give stuff away. Why do you need ten wrist watches? You still show up to church and meetings late anyway. Why do you need ten wrist watches, when they all tell the same time? Believe me, you do not need that many wrist watches. Instead of buying ten watches because you want to have a variety of colours, why not buy one and ten different straps? Declutter your life.

Let everything in your life have a home. For most of us, our cars have homes, right? Let every other thing in your life have a home. Your life will become simple. Your keys should have a home; there should be only one place for your keys. Research shows that the average person spends five to seven years of their life looking for things. Let everything you own have its own home.

Prayer:  Lord, the wisdom required to simplify, give unto me, in Jesus Name. Amen!