Simplicity: Uncluttering Our Minds

Now we move to the next essential discipline--Simplicity: Uncluttering Our Minds

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow,
`Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go

In our pursuit of intimacy with God, we will find that our minds need time and experience in order to assimilate these concepts. They are foreign---very unnatural—to the natural mind. The natural state of mind for all of us is to satisfy physical wants—mostly legitimate ones—as a primary motivation in virtually every area of life. The disciplines are spiritual activities that feel awkward at first. Like any new model of behavior, they must be wrestled with, talked through, come to terms with, tried on. As time passes, and by the grace of God, a few of them will begin to settle into a routine. You will discover, looking back over a few months, that you have changed. How did it happen? You set your sails in a new direction, and you are no longer helplessly blown by the guts of each gale. The disciplines have given you the ability to choose your destination: intimacy with God that results in Christlikeness. The simplicity of your choice helps unclutter your mind.

Remember our key verse???
10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope], (Philippians 3:10, The Amplified Bible)

Notice the words “continually transformed.” This perspective may also prove helpful: Christlikeness is a journey, not a destination—at least on the side of God’s radical transformation of the world during the end times. The joy is in the journey. Plan on a lifetime of travel. While you’re at it, learn to enjoy the ride, despite of the inevitable wrong turns and sometimes toilsome progress. The satisfaction and peace you gain far outweigh the inconvenience.

SOURCES OF MIND-CLUTTER

In order for intimacy with the Almighty to become our determined purpose, we will have to make some major changes. That process begins with an honest assessment of what stands in our way. The first and most obvious challenges we face are the enormous complications of this century and the resulting clutter it produces in our minds.

a. Most of us today say yes to far too many things. That means we are busier than we need to be, perhaps because we fear the void in our souls that a few quiet hours might reveal. “Much of our activity today is little more than a cheap anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life.” (Lewis Sperry Chaffer, founder of Dallas Theological Seminary)

b. Most of us do not plan time for leisure and rejuvenation. We dutifully pull out our day planner to fill the spaces between activities. Stop and think: when was the last time you marked off a block of time in your planner and wrote “rest” in the middle of it?

c. Most of us experience the joy of accomplishment. A wise man once wrote, “A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.” (Proverbs 13:19 NKJV). But with too much to do, we dash off to the next obligation, often without finishing the previous one or taking the time to stand back and savor a job well done.

d. Most people living in wealthy countries owe more than they can hope to repay. And to make matters worse, most are working their way even deeper into debt. “The borrower becomes the lender’s slave” (Proverbs 22:7).

e. Most of us fool ourselves into thinking that with our modern technology we have simplified our lives. Truth be told, we have complicated them.


Aleksandr Solzhenistsyn once wrote:
Do not pursue what is illusory. All that is gained at the expense of your nerves decade and is confiscated in the fell of night. Live with the steady superiority over life. Don’t be afraid of misfortune. Do not yearn after happiness. It is, after all, the same. The bitter doesn’t last forever. And the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing. It is enough if you don’t freeze in the cold. And if thirst and hunger don’t claw at your insides, if you back isn’t broken, if your feet can walk and your arms can bend, if both eyes can see, if both ears hear, then whom…whom should you envy?

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simply. Simply. – Henry Thoreau

2 Corinthians 11:2-4 (New American Standard Bible)
2For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I (A)betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might (B)present you as a pure virgin.
3But I am afraid that, as the (C)serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
4For if one comes and preaches (D)another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a (E)different spirit which you have not received, or a (F)different gospel which you have not accepted, you (G)bear this (H)beautifully.


Take note of his concern: that their “minds will be led astray.” From what? Simplicity. Purity.

2 Cor. 11:3 The Message

1-3Will you put up with a little foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. The thing that has me so upset is that I care about you so much—this is the passion of God burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband. And now I'm afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ.


Pause to ponder the words “seduced” and “lured away.” Both are like erosion, silent and slow and subtle. But talk about damaging!

The virtue of simplicity

The message of Christianity is quickly becoming a system of enlightened thinking instead of a simple call to turn from sin and pursue a relationship with God.

I urge you to focus fully on simplicity, on purity.

Simple – a compliment, meaning unwavering, disciplined, determined, moving in a clearly defined direction—but not now. Not it is suggests you’re not operating at full capacity above the shoulders!

CLUTTER AS THE ENEMY OF SIMPLICITY

Where is your ship going? It is blown here and there by the shifting winds of complications? Is anyone at the helm? Are you reacting to the needs of immediate or ordering your priorities to enjoy deeper devotion to Jesus Christ? Have you found yourself working harder, not for the satisfaction of a job well done but to keep one step ahead of your creditors? Do you use technology to simply your life, or do you spend much of your time and money maintaining your gadgets?

Too much clutter in your mind leaves insufficient room for devotion to Christ. And it shows up how you relate to Him. For instance, do you take time to pray?

What about meditation? Psalm 1:2

You need to invest time and the energy to cultivate a depth of devotion. It is that which requires us to simplify—to unclutter our lives, to weed the garden of our minds to make room for something beautiful to grow.

What are specific ways we should incorporate this new understanding so that we become more like Jesus Christ?


Maintaining An Uncluttered Private Life

Think of your own personal life. 2 Cor. 5:9-10
Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

1. Do you spend time with God? I mean private time all alone with Him. Would you find it helpful to begin simplifying your schedule so that you can begin meeting with God, even if it is for 15 minutes each day? 15 UNINTERRUPTED MINUTES…away from people, with the television and radio…and cellphone turned off. Time spent alone with God.

There is always a good reason to leave the Master’s feet to do His work—or so convince ourselves. So, to protect that time, I’ve had to make one tiny yet powerful world a regular part of my vocabulary.

The word is no.

We can make our lives as complicated or as simple as we desire with a kind, polite, respectful, yet all-important no.

This may be especially difficult for you if you are multitalented. Chances are good that a person with a limited number of abilities has a less complicated life than those of you who are good at several things. You can speak, you can sing, you can organize, you can put meetings together, you get things done, and your disciplined in those areas; so people naturally call on you. I read years ago that the world is run by tired people. I think that’s true. You’ve heard the adage, “If you want to get something done, ask somebody who’s busy.” Well, maybe it’s time for you, the busy person, to say, “No, not this year. I won’t be in charge of this.” Or, “No, I’m not able to plan this and that.” Or, “I’m sorry, I can’t do what I thought I could when I said yes earlier. Please find someone else.”

Just say no.

2. Have you become a clutter person within? Our surroundings often reflect what’s going on inside. When my desk, my closet, and my car start getting cluttered, that’s a sign that my life has accumulated needless extras while I wasn’t paying attention. It’s normal. That can happen to anyone who is productive. But it can’t stay that way.

Maintaining An Uncluttered Public Life

1. Are good things keeping you from choosing God’s best? The process of simplifying life can be very painful process involving some extremely difficult decisions.

Philippians 3:13-14

Look at the example Jesus gave us. When He came to the end of His earthly ministry, though only 33 years old, He said boldly, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). That’s an uncluttered life. He could have gotten much more involved with the 12 disciples, or He could have chosen 25 disciples to more than double His earthly outreach. He could have traveled to Rome, the seat of civilization at the time, or to Athens, where He could touch great minds in order to extend the impact of His ministry to a much broader base of humanity.

But Jesus chose only 12 disciples. He mentored them slowly and intimately and never traveled very far from the place of His birth. Some might say that if you’re going to revolutionize the world, you need to care your cause to as many parts of it as possible. But Jesus deliberately limited His itinerary. He kept His ministry simple. At the end, just before breathing His last, He said, “It is finished.”

2. Are too many material possessions draining your energy, leaving you exhausted and maybe even resentful? Simplifying may call for unloading some of your material possessions that require so much of your time, energy, and money that you should invest elsewhere. Consider selling or perhaps giving away some of those burdens.

SIMPLICITY LEADS TO INTIMACY

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow,
`Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go


Are you going where you want to go, or are the gales of a complicated life pushing you away from the best destination? Simplify. Your journey toward intimacy includes of simplicity, which but its exercise, leaves you with more time, not less. And because this discipline is an exercise in subtraction, the fruit of it is additional room—margin, some call it—to enjoy a long-lasting, satisfying, rewarding, intimate relationship with God.

Credit to Charles Swindoll for his book "So, Do You Want To Be Like Christ?"