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Brooksyne Weber
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Monday,
October 3, 2022
Reflection Pond, near Gorham, New Hampshire.
Click on photo to enlarge
Click on photo to enlarge
"Spiritual
Clutter"
Note:
Brooksyne is in Tulsa visiting with her family along
with Ester and they will be returning Wednesday
afternoon. This weekend they were in Arkansas. Thus
these messages won't have the benefit of her input and
editing and I will be reading the podcast solo!
Message
summary: Today we consider the ultimately worthless. When viewed through
spiritual eyes all the neat stuff of this present life
that is so visually appealing and sought after is
worthless in comparison to that which really matters
from an eternal perspective. That's what we need to
constantly remember.
"Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your Word" (Psalm 119:37). "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith" (Philippians 3:7-9).
All I
once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now compared to this
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now compared to this
Gordon
Stewart, a man in England died when he apparently became
lost in the midst of the clutter in his home. According
to the article the compulsive hoarder is believed to
have become disorientated inside the clutter and was
unable to find his way out — then he collapsed from
dehydration. It seems that the police crawled around the
tunnel network until they uncovered his body. (What a
job!)
Now I have heard of people keeping lots of stuff but this surely takes the cake. I realize comparatively how uncluttered we are at the Weber house!
Consider forms of clutter in our lives. Brooksyne enjoys volunteering at a local mission thrift shop in Mount Joy and while serving manages to find nice bargains as well. Then several times a year we load up the van and take bags of “extras” to the very same thrift shop and donate it for resale. I know some of it is what she brought home months earlier! (Brooksyne’s acknowledges this true.)
But what about spiritual clutter? The Psalmist makes a powerful plea to God; “Turn my eyes away from worthless things.” The KJV uses the term “vanity” here. The Hebrew word also connotes useless, false, desolating, and is used figuratively for idolatry.
Now I have heard of people keeping lots of stuff but this surely takes the cake. I realize comparatively how uncluttered we are at the Weber house!
Consider forms of clutter in our lives. Brooksyne enjoys volunteering at a local mission thrift shop in Mount Joy and while serving manages to find nice bargains as well. Then several times a year we load up the van and take bags of “extras” to the very same thrift shop and donate it for resale. I know some of it is what she brought home months earlier! (Brooksyne’s acknowledges this true.)
But what about spiritual clutter? The Psalmist makes a powerful plea to God; “Turn my eyes away from worthless things.” The KJV uses the term “vanity” here. The Hebrew word also connotes useless, false, desolating, and is used figuratively for idolatry.
Our home
and other possessions are a blessing but we must keep a
perspective on their comparative value to that which is
supremely important. Consider the first daily verse as a
personal prayer: "Turn my eyes away from worthless
things; preserve my life according to Your word."
It is found in the midst of the longest chapter in the entire Bible, Psalm 119. Sometimes when reading through a longer section of the Bible we can easily miss some spiritual nuggets. There's a tendency to dutifully read the entire passage without pondering each phrase and considering the deeper or further meaning. I have a good minister friend who did a verse by verse study on this long chapter which reminded me of the importance of chewing on each precious morsel of God's Word.
Today's text is, of course translated a bit differently in other translations. The Amplified Bible sheds further light, "Turn my eyes away from vanity [all those worldly, meaningless things that distract—let Your priorities be mine], and restore me [with renewed energy] in Your ways".
When viewed through spiritual eyes all the neat stuff of this present life that is so visually appealing and sought after is worthless in comparison to that which really matters from an eternal perspective. That's what we need to constantly remember.
What "worthless things" was the Psalmist was referring to? One commentary states "idols and idolatry". Interestingly the final verse in 1 John is, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols". These worthless things might be similar to that which was written by Isaac Watts in his classic hymn, "When I survey the wondrous cross" where he states, "All the vain things that charm me most". Although each generation has had these worthless and vain things (which can be idols) we have a feeling they are far more prominent in our day than they were three thousand years ago when David lived or three hundred years ago when Isaac Watts lived. In our generation we are exposed to a whole lot more "worthless things" and a much greater variety!
The Psalmist was wise in identifying this truth and making it a request. Do you see these worthless things surrounding you today? Many are not necessarily bad, indeed many are a blessing from God and we should be thankful for them, but compared to those things that matter most from an eternal perspective they are indeed "worthless."
Consider the Apostle Paul's perspective on this matter: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
It is found in the midst of the longest chapter in the entire Bible, Psalm 119. Sometimes when reading through a longer section of the Bible we can easily miss some spiritual nuggets. There's a tendency to dutifully read the entire passage without pondering each phrase and considering the deeper or further meaning. I have a good minister friend who did a verse by verse study on this long chapter which reminded me of the importance of chewing on each precious morsel of God's Word.
Today's text is, of course translated a bit differently in other translations. The Amplified Bible sheds further light, "Turn my eyes away from vanity [all those worldly, meaningless things that distract—let Your priorities be mine], and restore me [with renewed energy] in Your ways".
When viewed through spiritual eyes all the neat stuff of this present life that is so visually appealing and sought after is worthless in comparison to that which really matters from an eternal perspective. That's what we need to constantly remember.
What "worthless things" was the Psalmist was referring to? One commentary states "idols and idolatry". Interestingly the final verse in 1 John is, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols". These worthless things might be similar to that which was written by Isaac Watts in his classic hymn, "When I survey the wondrous cross" where he states, "All the vain things that charm me most". Although each generation has had these worthless and vain things (which can be idols) we have a feeling they are far more prominent in our day than they were three thousand years ago when David lived or three hundred years ago when Isaac Watts lived. In our generation we are exposed to a whole lot more "worthless things" and a much greater variety!
The Psalmist was wise in identifying this truth and making it a request. Do you see these worthless things surrounding you today? Many are not necessarily bad, indeed many are a blessing from God and we should be thankful for them, but compared to those things that matter most from an eternal perspective they are indeed "worthless."
Consider the Apostle Paul's perspective on this matter: "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
We need to
clear the spiritual clutter with the ongoing renewing of
our minds and determine this day that we will live our
life in faith and obedience to God, offering our life as
a living sacrifice!
Knowing
you, Jesus, knowing you
There is no greater thing
You're my all, you're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord
There is no greater thing
You're my all, you're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord
Be
encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, many people
spend their entire lives accumulating
that which perishes at the end of our
lives. We, too, as believers get
caught up in earthly possessions as
they require a great deal of our time
and often tug at our heart strings for
misplaced value in this life. But our
possessions on this side pale in
comparison to knowing You and Your
great love for us. Turn our eyes from
that which is worthless and toward
that which is eternally preserved for
us in heaven. In the name of Jesus we
pray. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"All I Once Held Dear"
Video
Shane & Shane
Some more photos from our New England trip last week. We went from the White Mountains in New Hampshire to coastal Maine last Sunday.
The
Sunday River covered bridge near
Bethel Maine is quite unlike covered
bridges here in Lancaster County.
Here's
a creative way to have a mailbox in rural Maine. Looks like
he also has some backups if one gets
hit by the snowplow!
This
sign may indicate the closest we will
ever be to being world travelers.
Actually
all of these are town names in Maine!
Maine
is dotted with beautiful lakes such
as Bear Pond.
Click on photo
to enlarge
We
stopped by to visit with Jeff and
Linda Reid, friends from the church we
served in Taunton Massachusetts about
25 years ago. What a joy that they are
remaining faithful and active in their
church near Paris (Maine) They both
got saved watching Christian
programming on TV in the 80's.
Jeff has
an interesting practice of noting each
message he hears in his Bible on the
page the main text was from and showed
me his notes from one of the first
sermons I preached in that church. I
checked my notes and the message was
titled, "Why God Hates Sin" based on
Genesis 3:1-24. I am also heartened to
see the reference to Bro. Rick M.
(Masciantonio) who was in our church at
that time but now serves the Nauset Baptist Church
way out on Cape Cod.
Tomorrow I'll share some
more photos from our trip as we
visited the rocky Maine seacoast.
Finally today:
On Saturday afternoon I
attended a memorial service for Pat
Stillman who was an esteemed business
leader in our area. It was heartening
to hear the many tributes and memories
and evidence of spiritual impact he
made. In fact when you signed the
register they offered a Gospel of John
in his memory.
This morning I read an
interesting perspective from Pastor
Richard Dresselhaus on his "One For The Road"
blog titled "In Memory"
In memory. What will
people say about you after you have
died?
Jehoram…king of Judah…was a very wicked king. He murdered family members…worshipped idols…and was despised by the people.
When he died…here is what the record reports. “He passed away, to no one’s regret…” (2 Chronicles 21:20)
It is important to think about this. You will want to live in a way that contributes positively to the lives of others.
But it goes deeper. What will God think about you at your passing? What does His record show? It’s that which matters most.
Long after you have passed…may both heaven and earth record that you lived a godly life –and were a blessing to many.
Jehoram…king of Judah…was a very wicked king. He murdered family members…worshipped idols…and was despised by the people.
When he died…here is what the record reports. “He passed away, to no one’s regret…” (2 Chronicles 21:20)
It is important to think about this. You will want to live in a way that contributes positively to the lives of others.
But it goes deeper. What will God think about you at your passing? What does His record show? It’s that which matters most.
Long after you have passed…may both heaven and earth record that you lived a godly life –and were a blessing to many.
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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