How To Simplify Your Life – Part 1

IS YOUR LIFE TOO COMPLICATED?

Psalms 119:130 NKJV The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

Hebrew – someone that is naïve concerning the challenges and complexities of life.

Dictionary – not complicated or complex, free of deceit or guile

The Word of God gives understanding and light to the open minded and uncomplicated.

Complex – so complicated or intricate as to be hard to understand or deal with.

Good Complexity – the human body, your computer, your phone

Bad Complexity – the mismanagement of life’s affairs that makes it difficult to receive the light of God’s Word.

Complications cast shadows – they obscure the light causing us to stumble through life.

Psalms 46:10 NKJV Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalms 46:10 CEV (10)  Our God says, “Calm down, and learn that I am God! All nations on earth will honor me.”

Psalms 46:10 MSG (10)  “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”

To “know God” in the Hebrew means – to ascertain by seeing.

Still – to cease, to let go, or forsake the challenges, worries, and anxieties that encumber our lives.

Luke 10:38-42 NIV As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. (39) She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. (40) But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (41) “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, (42) but few things are needed–or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:42 AMP (42)  There is need of only one or but a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her.

You must begin to evaluate your life and choose the things that are needed.

  • When you choose something that is not needed over that which is needed it will always produce care and anxiety as it did in Martha.
  • Because of the choices Martha was making, the complications in her life were making her critical of her sister Mary.

To place all of this in its proper context, we must always remember that we are all called to be stewards or managers of our resources for God in order to accomplish His purpose in the earth. (Matthew 25:15-30)

Manager – managing the organization of the resource at your disposal so that it may accomplish the desired purpose.

Organization – to put in working order, to gather available elements into a functional arrangement

The resources of our lives can be categorized in three general areas:

  1. Time Management

Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Redeem: to buy up, i.e. ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss (improve opportunity):

Martha was doing a good thing but she was doing it at the wrong time.

  1. Resource Management

If you don’t manage the material resources of your life well, it will cause your life to become complicated.

  1. Relationship Management

Strife and contention will always cause your life to become complicated and stressful.