Slow it down and simplify

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “A fresh start in a new year”

Our Bible verse for today: “But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.” 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Slow it down and simplify”

At this point in our study of getting a fresh start in the new year, we are still adjusting our thinking and perspective about life in general. So far, we have considered the value of time and the importance of not wasting it on trivial pursuits or on people who are simply wasting our time. Such activities and people are not worthy of being given a little piece of our life that we can never get back (our time).

Another adjustment many of us will need to make if we are truly going to live well in 2025 is to slow down and simplify life. The fact is that most of us are entirely too busy for our own good. Our lives are crammed with activities, demands, responsibilities, and noise. So much so that we go through life stretched thin and frazzled. We even pride ourselves on being busy. Ask someone how they are doing and there’s a good chance they will say something like, “Good, just busy.” Everyone is “busy.”

The problem is that when we have too much going on at one time, we end up doing lots of things poorly rather than a few things well. I want to tell you this morning that multitasking is a lie. Satan has deceived us into thinking that our brain can effectively focus on more than one thing at a time. It can’t. When you multitask what that means is that your brain is rapidly flickering back and forth between multiple things rather than focusing intently on just one of them.

We all believe that the things keeping us so busy are all important and we can’t eliminate any of them. But that’s not true either. The truth is that nobody can do everything and some things are more important than others. It’s not at all uncommon for good things to take us away from the best things. Choices must be made and the word “no” does need to be said. In 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 the Apostle Paul even made the case for leading a slower, simpler, quieter life rather than one of constant frantic activity.

Soon in this series I will be asking you to consider making some New Years resolutions that will serve as a plan and a guide for you throughout 2025. To do that, you will have to make choices to do some things and to not do others. Towards that end, I have a book to recommend to you that I believe you will find helpful. The title is “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” by pastor and author John Mark Comer. It is the best book about this kind of life-change that I have ever read and I strongly recommend it to you.

One of the best pieces of advice I could offer for some of you this morning regarding the structure of your life in 2025 is to slow it down and simplify it around the people and activities that matter the most.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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