Need to declutter?
Every year end I attempt to declutter. I throw away the unused junk and give away the underused good stuff. The unidentifiable I keep with the hope that God may some day shine a light on its purpose.Do you have any of those things at home-tucked away-that you look at and wonder, What is that? What is its purpose?
And so when David went to the Desert of Judah was he attempting to spiritually declutter? What better place than the barren isolation of the desert to get back to the essence of God. In the shadowless desert David seeks and finds the peaceful comfort of Gods vast shadow. In the clutter and stuff of everyday life may we be reminded to return to the desert and seek Divine simplicity.
David tells us that it is not enough to rest in Gods embrace, but rather we are obliged to sing his praises. And so with a quiet voice, born of anxious introspection, I lift up this song to You.
“Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As i walk, let me walk close to thee.”
In verse 8 David continues, “Your right hand upholds me.” The reference to right hand signifies Divine power, as indicated in Isaiah 41: 10- “Do not fear, for I am with you.: Do not anxiously look about you for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you , surely I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” May we all feel the peaceful strength of Gods hand.
Russ,
God bless you brother! Thanks for sharing your heart and God’s word. I have not struggled with substance abuse, but sin comes in all shapes and sizes and I have struggled as well. We are all a mess and desperate for God to reach down every day, every hour, every minute,every second, and pick us up and breathe new life into us. We are all so fragile, so needy, and 1 milliliter away from insanity if not for God’s grace and mercy.
I can relate to the desert. But God, in His love and patience allows us to pursue what we think will satisfy so that we will come to our own end and finally realize that this vacuum can only be filled with Him in the person of Jesus Christ. Once we surrender to Him and His purpose for our life, we begin to live for the first time. It’s this adventure of daily seeking His face through His word with reckless obedience that we are meant to live. May many others be encouraged, challenged, and driven to the cross by your testimony of God’s power. Grateful for your powerful testimony of God’s love, brother.
In Christ Alone…
Russ…when I read your testimony, the first thing I think is that wonderful verse, “those who have been forgiven much, love much”…and clearly you do. Our testimony is our treasure. My testimony is also so dire and so extreme that I have told few, and then only in bits and pieces, as I couldn’t bear it if they didn’t understand the magnitude of what happened. But I identify with you, and your courage in sharing it all. This verse above is one that encourages me–so those of us who have really put Him to the test can indeed testify that He comes after every sheep no matter how far afield we drift. And He restores us so completely that our scarred past is like a mark of honor. Oddly enough, I had been searching for Him under every rock, but didn’t find Him…instead, like you, He found me when I was helpless. Your testimony is so affirming, and encouraging. I’m so glad that you come to our church.
Did anyone else think of Bette Midler when they read today’s verse?…funny.
One of my favorite times of the day is the morning…obviously. However, one part I am particularly fond of is when my 6 yr old daughter helps me walk the dogs before we go to her school. More often then not it is dark when we go. I have two dogs on long leashes, and I walk out back and stand in one spot. My daughter slides up to my side and wraps an arm around my leg and leans into me, as if she is hidding in my shadow. I read this verse and thought of how much I love those little moments. She doesn’t even know how much joy she brings me, but I do. So in light of that, I long to bring joy to my heavenly father. I want to wrap my arms around His leg and lean into Him. It is in this place He can guide me best. I know that I was created to be under His wing.
Russ,
I know you know God does not see or remember what you were. That’s all dead and buried, and no one in this group is going to dig it up. We do a song at Cumberland, “Rescue”, and the chorus goes “I need you Jesus. Come to my rescue. Where else can I go? There’s no other name by which I am saved. Capture me with grace. I will follow you.” We’ve all tried to fill the hole in our lives with our own addictions and favorite sin – drugs, alcohol, sex, food, education, art, music, “church,” whatever. It’s all the same if it’s not Him. Hopefully, eventually, we come to the end of ourselves and we just reach out and beg Jesus, “Come to my rescue.” We can sing under His wings protected, safe, and whole. Thanks for opening up and giving us what God gave you, grace.
If one pays attention, as many believers do (mind you I didn’t say “Christians”), you can see how God leads us into the desert as well as out of it. When you don’t know or understand anything about God, it’s a mystery why God would allow us to enter difficult places in our life.
As for me, I rejoice when I hit a rough spot, if for no other reason than I know that God is paying particularly specific attention to me! It’s awesome! I know he’s working, even if I can’t identify how.
As for clutter, I’m reminded of the secular, if profound song, “Simple Man.” People often ignore the incredible value of being a simple man with a simple mind and a simple viewpoint to life. God’s point of view is simple, he wants our point of view to be even moreso — love the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, and love your neighbor as yourself. He didn’t say: Figure it out so I’ll love you or save you, he said, “Love me, lean on me, and love each other.”
Sounds pretty uncluttered to me.
Herb – I agree 100% with you. There is nothing like the feeling when Andrew or Katie, of their own free will without any prompting, reach out to me and make a connection with me. Once I had kids, I really began to understand a lot more about my faith. Kids have such a naive faith, not realizing how flawed we really are. However, it is such a great picture of what faith is supposed to be – an all encompassing trust and love – not based on naivity, but on the knowledge that God really does hold everything perfectly in his hand.
And yes, I thought of Bette Midler.
Russ – thanks for sharing your story and life with us.
Russ I think just as statistics are about divorce in and outside the walls of church are the same, so is substance abuse-guarantee there are more than 60% of people in our church that battle with something that controls them more than God. These are the walls that I think God is breaking down in the people at CCC- We know God’s redemption, forgiveness and grace (do we really or are we just trying really hard to understand and almost there????)
Alan talked about de-cluttering/junking a couple of weeks ago and he said he was surprised to see what he read. I’m not-how can these people (including myself) go from being anonymous to “being out there” and vulnerable- So there is an issue still -people are ashamed and scared, how can we change that as a church??????
This is a question I have to ask myself – I gave up something (yes an addiction)New Year’s Day and i’ve been fine for 9 days, but my promise I made was to my Dad, not My Father. Why is it easier to promise someone else or make a new years resolution, Are we afraid we are going to disappoint God? I think I might be……
This is a cool place to come and read -thanks
De-clutter. That is something that I wish for. I was brought up in a church and with people that told me I was never good enough for God, that I would never be good enough for true salvation. They told me that I should go to classes (Missionette’s was the name). I went to the class and completed it. That was not good enough. Maybe I should serve in the sanctuary. I did that but still I was not good enough. I suffer from depression with bio-polar tendancies (a nice way to put it). I was told that as long as I am on medication, I will never be good enough.
Many years later, I am here at Cumberland and have learned that I was created the way that I am for a reason. God created me with my flaws. If I love and trust him, and I give myself to him, that is enough. There is no action that will save me.
I consider that un-cluttered.
Our God is worth it!
Russ, thanks for your thoughts. I like the idea of “divine simplicity”. I tend to lose sight of God’s greatness and the peace and security of his shadow when I complicate my life with clutter. Cluttered head, cluttered closets, cluttered work, cluttered CHURCHY activity. (Off with my head!)
His yoke is easy, his burden light.
I love how these verses remind us of how powerless we are and how powerful the Father is. I can rest in complete peace knowing that he is in control.
God has blessed us with a church full of people who are ready to grow in Him. i am honored to be along-side people who are willing to change for the Will of God. Gods strength and peace be on all of us, as the road ahead will not be easy. Help us let go, Father, of the things of the world and the mindset we have from the world, and learn to be imitators of You.
Just today I was organizing my work area and other portions of my home. It is freeing to have everything in the proper place. Unfortunately, life does not let us put everything in a drawer, on a shelf, on the curb or in a collection bin. Except by just surrendering to God…
Russ,
Thanks for sharing your recovery and your faith. For those of us in recovery,life is often about making our lives more managable; and decluttering is a good place to start. I’ve never seen my life get any simpler through aquisition but only through letting go.
This letting go or “de-clutering” can be a closet cleanout, or it can be a more interior job. Maybe today’s the day I ask God to help me let go of a resentment against someone else or against myself that I’ve held onto for far too long. Maybe today’s the day I understand what lay unaccepted and unforgiven in my life may be how I am preventing myself from singing beneath His wings. Not all of what I have to give up to follow Christ is in my closet.
No matter how deeply I want to apply this; it still comes down to attachment, and Jesus was remarkably clear about attachments to anything but God. Thanks again Russ.
Much of our activity today is little more than a cheap anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life.- Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder of Dallas Theolgical Seminary
Sometimes we are working so hard to do the Christ-like thing, we fail to become like Christ. Our goal is always with a person in mind, Jesus. The Apostle Paul teaches us in Philippians 3:10 that our primary pursuit in life is to know Jesus. Let us unclutter our lives with all the stuff of living, even the good and worth-while things so that we may know Him and experience the joy of a deeply intimate relationship with Him as we become more like Him.
Thanks Russ.
So often I forget or get too busy to spend quite, quality time with my Daddy in Heaven. When am able too (it is quite hard with a toddler) my day is surrounded in peace. I just hope that my example of trying is working on my child’s heart.
Thanks Russ for the words of encouragement today.
Russ… thanks for being open about your story.
I am in staff retreat (last night, today, and through tomorrow morning). We are talking a lot about de-cluttering. In fact, there’s a lot of good we are sorting through to get to the great.
Sometimes the de-cluttering involves sorting through the good and getting to the great. We are identifying good fruit of our lives and church, but wondering what it will take to get us to MUCH fruit. What needs to be stripped away so that it’s only Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.? Jesus, you are my help. Jesus, my soul need to cling to you.
How much “Christian” good stands in the way of Jesus? How much “Christian” good is clutter, and keeps us from MUCH fruit?
For me… I’m wondering if I’m willing for God’s pruning (de-cluttering) … so that it’s all and only about Jesus?
How willing are we, as a church, to simplify — de-clutter — so that it’s only about Jesus? Are we ready to move from good to great. From some fruit to MUCH fruit?
Hmmm,
Many times another man’s de-cluttering is Christs treasure for us. We just have to learn how to listen.
God Bless You!
Thanks for your thoughts Russ. I love the idea of Divine Simplicity. I think we could all benefit from a little de-cluttering in our spiritual lives to bring us back to the feet of Jesus.
Thanks for your story Russ. My cousin Jeremy is going through a struggle right now with substance abuse and alcoholism. This is the second time he has gone through treatment and I pray this time it works and he seeks God to help him. He has a 4-year-old son who misses him very much. Stories like yours are very encouraging. Praise be the Lord!
I love Isaiah 61:l. “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” Wow, what a scripture. We all sin. We all have areas of weakness but God gives us hope. He will free us from the yoke that binds us. He opens the prison cell and sets us free. This week God has been working on an area of weakness in my life. He is doing this so that I can finally be set free. I can’t do it alone. He is there with me. He is my strength. I praise Him for never allowing me to stay where I am comfortable but to keep me moving forward in Him.
does referencing Bette Midler challenge the credibility of this site?
Everyone… this has been a great week of seeing many hearts and reading comments all attached to God’s Holy Word. May He be praised. Thank you Jesus for being the living Word and dwelling among us… still to this day.
May this 5-day challenge turn into a 10-day challenge by the end of next week.
Good night.
Music is very inspirational, which is why it is an important portion of the Sunday service. “The wind beneath my wings? sung by Bette Milder – which I think is the reference here – is a very inspiring song. It is a song that made me pull over and cry once while driving. I think that referencing inspiration from our common culture does not challenge this credibility, as this is part of our daily walk. We can use inspiration where ever we can find it.
Also, perhaps we could come up with a particular meaning for the acronym DNA just for Cumberland. Since service is a recurring theme for our congregation, “Dynamic Nurturing Acts” or another phrase that captures the spirit of new goals might be beneficial . Since, we are creating a “child” perhaps we should name it?
Thanks for being open and vulnerable with us, Russ. Great thoughts — Amen to decluttering!!
Thanks for the honesty Russ. When reading this passage, I always think about my righthandedness. Since my right hand is stronger and more coordinated, I have always made sure that my child (or student) who needed the most “guidance” was on my right side. I pray that God always safely holds me tightly by His right hand…I don’t want Him to loose me!
The verse as listed is wrong. It is “Because thou has been my help therefore, ….” This is past tense. Not “Because you are my help”. David is saying that the Lord helped him in the desert and, “therefore”, he is rejoicing under God’s wings (a symbol of humble acknowledgment of God’s grace) . The way the verse was posted is in the wrong context. Not only that, but “My soul clings to you” is wrong as well. It is translated “My soul obeys carefully” as translated from “My soul followeth hard after thee”. David is saying that he obeys God’s Word. All around I say it is a poor translation that removes the context of which the passage is given. This passage means two things. First: What we should learn is modesty, because without God “holding us up with his right hand”, we would be in far worse shape. Second: the verse as correctly transcribed means that those who follow closely to the word of God, He will uphold them with “his right hand”.
So… Be humble, sing praise to the lord for his guidance, for if you follow his Word closely, he will uphold you.
In “my soul clings to you” you lose the context of obedience to God’s word with the satisfaction of his upholding you in rough times. The context is important, the words are important. The meaning overall is imperative.
thank you,
Jacqueline Payne
Now, about decluttering.
In my opinion cleanliness and cluttering is a matter of habit just as being righteous is a matter of habit. Does your surroundings reflect your mindset, emotions, discipline, ect. Absolutely! Spirituality is about the peace and balance that comes with knowing and following God. The outside reflecting the inside and vice versa. I think that Jesus demonstrates the beauty of simplicity: the simplicity of the love of god, of taking a whole life of sin and washing the slate clean if you just confess and believe. It is beautiful. “Clutter” metaphorically and physically is a matter of personal opinion and acknowledgement. What counts is creating a spiritual and physical personal environment “decluttered” of distraction. Sure Satan is a “distraction” but it is We that are the ones that allow it. As free willed individuals we should take the time recognize the things in our lives that we have allowed to clutter our relationship with God. With free will comes that responsibility. About balance. I think what we lack is the simplicity that comes with the meditative mind in prayer and in our daily existence. Clutter isn’t just in our homes but in our hearts. Without self meditation ( self analysis) we may not recognize the “little things” that “creep up on us” to become real problems with our relationship with God or the filthy terror in the basement. As anything, the declutterization should be a habit and not a once a year thing.
Alan, about your decluttering the church…
you seem to be talking about spiritual intent.
As a new attendee at the church it seems that the church is a little more anxious over itself than it is about serving God. Personally that is why I quit my Baptist church at 16, and have now come to this church at 21. It seems that the church cares about serving God as a church , but in the end it is the individual soul that will fall or rise. I personally think that the church is meant as a guide and support for the individual to come closer to god, with the intent of serving God. Love makes things pure. Love for all people, not for the “church”. The pieces fall into place. As a newbie, I feel uncomfortable with preaching to grow a church. I think it should be about growing God’s love in the community whether those people are in the church or not. . Having to warn people in the Church of newbies just makes me feel uncomfortable and separated.
Jacqueline,
I am trying to understand what you said in your last note, so I may be mistaken in how I respond. I believe, based on what I know of the Bible, that the “church” and the “Church” are absolutely essential to the sanctification of the individual. Collectively, the Church is the Bride of Christ. In practical terms it is the representative of Christ in the community. Really, “the Church” has no meaning except in the context of the local church – it is an abstract idea and ideal until the Holy Spirit works it out in the community where she lives and serves. Sure we rise and fall individually. We serve individually but Romans, Ephesians, and 1 Corinthians teach that we receive our gifts from God and they really cannot be used individually but in the context of serving and building up one another.
Prime example, speaking in tongues – a nice “controversial” subject, but just looking at 1 Corinthians 14:4-5, it says that a person can edify himself speaking in a tongue, but the whole church is edified if the tongue is interpreted. He goes on, and Paul says prophesy edifies the entire church. Paul then says in 14:12, if we desire Spiritual gifts, then desire the ones that build up the church. The point is our gifts will be out of balance and we cannot develop them independently of our service to each other in the church.
The New Testament letters are to individuals and churches, true, guiding us to individual purity and pure religion, but always relationally in the context of local service, and always a covenant relationship, not casual. We love people inside and out of the church walls, but the special relationship belongs to us who have accepted Christ and have a relationship to each other through him.
I have known many people over the years who believed that church is optional, at worst, or just a help for their personal growth at best. They could take it or leave it and leaving their local church seemed to mean nothing more than say, shopping at Kroger versus Publix. But it is very much more. I wish I had time to develop my thoughts better, and I apologize if I misunderstood your note.
I may have misunderstood as well and may be out of bounds even responding. But in my profession I often have to unravel one’s hidden personal interpretation in order to resolve conflicts based on misunderstandings. So, not being a biblical expert, I will use a more practical approach as we are all just people in the end.
Recognizing areas where we (CCC) can improve and striving to address these areas should not be considered being “anxious”. There may be anxiety associated with wondering exactly HOW we can ultimately achieve the desired goals. The pursuit of continuous improvement causes anxiety for individuals, corporations and non profit organizations across the globe.
All organizations should look critically at their structure, capabilities and direction on a regular basis in order to improve. Otherwise, we would stagnate or deteriorate. The idea of looking within as the new year begins make perfect sense for CCC or any organization.
Wanting to improve our internal compass, capabilities and goals in order to better serve the community, ourselves and God seems like a worthy and wise pursuit. This would help to create a stronger foundation to support organic natural growth. This is the desire and direction I interpreted from Alan and the council. How this pursuit may seem to present itself as insecurity or anxiety is certainly understandable, but it may not be accurate; and my interpretation may not be accurate either.
I have several Bibles, but my translation of preference is the NKJV which states, “Because you have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind you; Your right hand upholds me.” What stuck out to me the most here is the first line, “Because you HAVE BEEN my help.” God has been my help over and over and over again, yet how frequently I drift away, or forget His help. It’s evident when I worry or fret, or try to make things happen in my life by my own might in my timing, as opposed to waiting on God and relying on his help, as opposed to rejoicing in the shadow of his wings. I started a Bible Study this morning that I had started earlier this year and never finished, and it was like deja-vu. I had been in this same place, this same spot in my Christian walk 6 months ago then somehow I became diverted and distracted. Now I’m back and prayerfully asking God to keep me on the path that I’m supposed to be on. My problem last time… I took my eyes off of Him and placed them back on myself.
I have also been attending CCC and have been truly blessed. What I love about the church – is the open understanding that believers are the church – 24/7…. the call to worship, read, study, pray during the week -every day, not just on Sundays, the acknowledgement that when we come to church on Sundays, the band doesn’t play to enlighten us, but rather plays to worship God, and that we aren’t there to be blessed (which is obviously an added benefit), but we are there to worship God corporately and individually through our singing, through our praise, through our praying, through our rededication, through our internal audit of our Christian lives.
This morning I got up early and kneeled to pray, but instead of praying, I worshipped. And it was really a blessing. I rarely do that – I usually pray for myself, friends, family and rarely just take the time to worship God. I rarely kneel. I’m usually sitting – or worse, lying down and fall asleep. This morning’s time just warmed my soul and thoroughly excited me.
My experience at CCC has been unique and quite a blessing. It seems as though believers are encouraged to serve God both as a church and individually, and that God is blessing those desires and opening up doors of opportunities in the surrounding communities and in various lives.
Thank you to those of you who post here. It’s been a blessing to read your testimonies, your thoughts, and your prayers.
To Russ, what an awesome testimony! Thank you for sharing. As a previous writer expressed, we all have addictions and vices that take our focus off of God and take us out of His will. What a testimony to His grace that you are renewed!
Im sorry, I just read the comment above and it truley made me laugh…lol.