Is it time to Simplify your life?

Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12-14, AMP)

We are doing a study on running the race, as we study Philippians 3:12-14. If you would like to read the first devotional in this series, you can click here.

I want to talk a little bit about the second essential needed for running the race. The first essential I shared came out last week and we talked about how important it is to not get satisfied in our walks with the Lord. We will never truly run in this race until we are dissatisfied with our current position in it. The next essential for running the race is DEVOTION.

2nd Essential ~ DEVOTION

Often it seems now a days that our devotion is divided among many things. I don’t know about you but I have a tough time saying no. That can be the death of me at times, as I spread myself too thin and give less than my best. I’ve found that the best way for me to really get things done effectively is to focus on one thing at a time. The only One who can be present everywhere at once and do everything at the same time is God. I’m human, I can really only effectively focus on one thing at a time.

In fact, that leads me to my second secret for this study. Simplify your life! Is it possible that you have put too much on your plate? I really had to take some time to consider this myself as I entered into 2017. I prayed for a few months about how I should move forward with the newsletters, online Bible study, Bible studies I lead in my church, writing books, and other things on my plate. I don’t want motherhood to be sacrificed for the sake of getting something done that quite possibly doesn’t matter as much.

So as I evaluated what I’m doing, I saw that what I really need to do is streamline things. This has helped relieve a lot of the pressure in my mind. I’ve been simplifying what I do and looking at what needs to go. As I entered 2017, there were a few things I said goodbye to as I just didn’t see the value in them for the time that I was giving.

I want a simple devotion. I want to be devoted to my King first and foremost. I want to serve Him with all of my heart. And out of that one devotion, my prayer is that I will serve my husband, my family, and my ministry better. God has to be my number one devotion. I need to place a bulk of my time on getting to know His heart and what He has for me. That often means slowing down and evaluating what His best is in any given situation.

Where have you allowed the good things to overtake God’s best for you? Is there a place that you can simplify your life this week?

Dear Father God, I’m sorry for the times that I have just blindly said yes to things without checking in with You. Oh Lord, I know how easily my mind gets overwhelmed when I take on too much and I really need Your help to discipline myself in a few things rather than many things. Lord, please give me a devoted heart for You alone! May I strive after what is best and give You my absolute all!

Taking the Time to Simplify so I can Serve Better,