[The below text has been machine translated and may contain errors. Please listen to audio for original and integral translation]
So about three weeks ago, I was like, God, please give me something because, you know, I obviously can’t do this on my own. And I have been, we’re redoing our bathroom and bedroom, and I’ve been trying to declutter my house and try to sell some things off or give it away. Really trying to sell it, but I said, God, what, what do you want me to share? And the word less came upon me, and I’m like, less? That’s just for me, you know.
And then the next week, Pastor Steve spoke and just used the sentence, less is more. And I thought, whoo, maybe that’s what it is, you know. So I kept praying, and that’s what I got.
Less is actually more. So we all tell lies, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t, because we all do. We don’t mean to.
They might be little white lies or just to make somebody feel better or something. But who’s the one that we lie to the most? Ourselves. And the big, one of the biggest lies that we tell ourselves is that more is better.
You know, if you have one, you need another one. Two is better than one. And it really started way back in the Garden of Eden when God created Adam, and he said, man should not be alone.
So he created Eve. And then God told them, you can eat from any tree in this garden except that one, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But what did the serpent come and say? The serpent came and say, did God really tell you that you couldn’t eat from that one tree? Because if you eat from that one tree that he said you couldn’t have, then you’d be more like him.
So more. We always want more. So it started way back in the Garden of Eden.
And the message that they heard way back then is the same message we hear now over and over again today. What you don’t have is what you need. You need this to be happy.
You need this to be fulfilled. You need this to be content. Stuff, stuff, stuff.
Do we really need more clothes? I thought so. And then my husband made a small closet. So I am gonna downsize or my clothes will stay in the basement.
What do we really need more of? We need more clothes. We need more gadgets. More attention.
We need more followers on TikTok. More books. You know, you can read one book at a time, but we need ten.
More knowledge. More muscles. More awards.
We need more family. We need more grandkids. And the list could go on and on all day long, but we need more, more, more.
And why do we need more? Because more is always better. But just stop and think about this. What if all the stuff that we have is actually keeping us from the life that we want to live? Rob Bell spoke of taking his kids to the beach and he was the kids were picking up seashells and they were going around and filling their pockets and filling their hands with these seashells.
And the one boy said, dad, dad, look at that beautiful starfish there. And the dad said, go get it. And the little boy couldn’t go get what he really wanted because he was so full.
His hands were both full. So what if our hands are holding on to the things that we can’t grab that our hearts really long and desire for? Maybe less greed so we can have more God. Maybe less image so we can have more substance.
Less anxiety so we can have more prayer and calmness in our life. Less conflict so we can have more peace in our lives. More time.
This is a big one for me because I even notice here in church, and I’m guilty, this is an ouch sermon for me because I really felt this was God for me. But I’m hoping that it helps somebody else. But why don’t we try to be more present with the ones we love instead of scrolling or playing games on our phone? We can’t get that time back and after the plane crashes this week, I really felt like did those people spend time with their family? You know, did they sit there and scroll on their phone instead of being present with the ones that they love? And you know, did they spend quality time with their loved ones or was it all about the sports? Or were they always on their phones and not making eye contact with the ones that they love? You know, actually talking to each other like we used to do before the phones and be present with each other.
More is not always better if our time is filled up with things that don’t really matter. Or things that cause our lives to be frantic, busy. You know, we eat on the run.
We have to get to our to-do list. How productive we are in life may start to become our idol. And we naturally convince ourselves that our value, our worth, is how productive we actually are.
And we learn how to push through. We learn how to pull all-nighters. We learn how to multitask.
We pour ourselves into our work trying to get in as much overtime as we can. We wear ourselves out and we think our happiness will just be waiting for us on the other side of that. It’s okay to love our jobs, and that’s actually a great thing if you love your jobs, but don’t let us neglect the other parts of our lives.
We need less stress, less noise, less crying, less proving ourselves to others, less pushing ourselves, less trying to cram 36 hours of stuff into 24 hours that we’re given. Let me ask you if you, and this is, there’s no right or wrong answer, but if you had a blank calendar with nothing on it and a full bank account, what would you do? You know, some people say, oh, I’d go on vacation or, you know, maybe just stop and rest. Like, you have nothing to do.
You don’t have to work overtime. You have enough money. So, we actually, we believe the myth that if we do more, we will be more.
If we do enough, that will be enough. If we hustle, if we earn, we will win. Making more memories with the people around you and making eye contact with them letting their presence be enough.
Not the screen on your phone. More time to take in the moment and stop and be thankful that you’re given another day to breathe. Because some of us don’t get that next day.
To connect with people, that is where life is, where grace and joy are. It isn’t how much money you make or the biggest house you live in or the best car or the more clothes you can fit in your closet or the more stuff you have. It really is just in Jesus.
God loves us just the way we are and we are enough. Nothing we can do to earn the love of God can make him love us any more. Like he loves us just the way we are.
We are told by TV and social media that what we don’t have we need. How many times have you saw something on TV and thought, if I could just have that? And Izzy and I do this a lot. We’re like, oh this would make our life better.
Let’s try this or get this. You know, if we could just have that, it would make us happy. Or, I need that.
If I bought that, it would help me look better or be better. In Acts 27, Paul writes about when they were on that boat and the storm was coming and they hadn’t ate for 14 days and Paul said, we haven’t eaten in weeks. Let us break the bread.
They broke the bread and they ate. And what did they do with the other stuff that was left over? They threw it into the sea. Because we are told we’re not supposed to hoard stuff.
When is enough? Enough is when we have what we need. So for some, it might be a roof over their head and a couple crumbs to eat. For them, that is enough.
They survive. You know, as long as they have Jesus, that’s enough. For some, it might be that they have money in their account.
You know, five pairs of clothing in their closet. You know, when COVID hit, I ordered toilet paper through Sam’s Club because I thought, oh gosh, we can’t be without toilet paper. So now I always have one case on backup, you know.
But do I need an extra case of toilet paper? I probably don’t. So, the Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need.
I have enough. Our prayer should be God give me less of what doesn’t matter in life and more of what does. Give me more of you and less of me.
And that’s really what is challenging me because I, so in January, I started this. It was a no buy 2025. Well, I can’t no buy, so I’m less buying.
But I’m trying and I have a blank calendar and I mark off in yellow the days that I haven’t bought anything. And it’s actually a very good challenge for me. And you know, because I, God has spoke to me and like, I don’t need stuff.
All I need is Jesus. So Matthew 6 19, Jesus said, don’t store up treasures here on earth. Where moss eat them and rust destroys them and where thieves can break in and steal.
But your treasures are in heaven where moss and rust can’t destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be. So is our stuff going to be, is our hearts desires stuff or is it to get to know God better? You know, I know this is has been a real eye-opener for me because I feel that, you know, well, I’ll get into that.
If we want to change our lives, we need to change our habits and let God change our hearts so we can have that ability to change our habits. Jesus tells us not to store up stuff that doesn’t last. Don’t accumulate more and don’t hoard and I put, I know for me, I always want more clothes, you know, sheen is very cheap.
So why not buy 10 things for $5 each instead of one thing for $50. I can have 10 of them, you know. So at the beginning of January, like I said, I am trying to downsize and get rid of stuff.
And I haven’t been on sheen. I took that off my phone. I took Timu off my phone.
I’m just really really trying because I don’t need anything else. I only, I work from home. So I only wear five outfits maybe.
And I really, if we think about it, we can’t take anything to heaven with us. Except ourselves and our love for Jesus and I said I don’t want our kids to have to declutter our house and say what the heck did mom and Donnie have all this stuff for, you know. And they don’t want it.
Like nothing that we have they want anyway. So it’s really challenging, but it’s going pretty good so far. God really has challenged me that he wants more time, me to spend more time with him, you know, instead of scrolling on my phone and just senseless needless stuff.
So what does it mean to have less of what doesn’t matter? If we want less of what doesn’t matter, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12 let us strip off every weight that slows us down, our stuff, every part of our busy schedules, every distraction, everything that doesn’t matter. Let’s just have enough and throw that other stuff overboard.
How many of you ladies or men for that matter go in your closet and touch all your clothes and then say you have nothing to wear? Like how many times do we go through and be like I don’t know I have nothing to wear. We get so much stuff that we end up putting stuff in the attic, in the garage, in the basement, and some people fill their house and all their stuff that they go rent a storage unit. I have not yet, and I don’t plan on it.
But people do. Like they run out of room to hold all their stuff and they go rent a storage unit. Jesus tells us not to accumulate stuff.
Throw it out as if your life depends on it because it really does. What if all the stuff you’re holding on to is robbing you of the life that you really want? If you haven’t used it in a year, give it away or sell it. If you get something new, get rid of something.
Don’t let stuff weigh you down. For some of us, it’s our schedule. We’re so busy that we don’t have time for Jesus.
Some of you, it’s your to-do list. Try creating a do-not-do list. Don’t even love that.
Strip off all the stuff. Strip off all the busyness. Cancel Netflix and have quiet time.
Stop scrolling on your phone, playing your games on your phone, and actually have family time. Open up your Bible and get into the Bible, get into the Word. Stop comparing yourselves to others and find contentment.
Let’s try and let go of stuff. Focus our hearts and eyes on Jesus as he is so much better anyway. Ecclesiastics 4, 6 says better one handful of peace than two handfuls with toil chasing the winds.
So kind of go back to the boy with the seashells. He had both of his hands so full of you know, it’s an illustration, so of stuff that he couldn’t have a free hand. He couldn’t give a word of encouragement.
He couldn’t give a hug. We wouldn’t be able to high-five someone or shake their hand because our hands are so full and our lives are so full of stuff. We can’t do what God meant us to do and to help others if we’re so busy and we’re our hands are full.
So more is not better. Better is one handful than debt that’s weighing you down. When your marriage is struggling, better is time with your family, your kids, your grandkids, with Jesus.
If you found out that you only had two months to live, what would really matter to you? I bet it wouldn’t be stuff. It wouldn’t be your Apple watch. It wouldn’t be your phone for sure.
And how many people are following you on social media? How far you got on your game? How big your house was or what kind of car that you drove or how many clothes that were in your closet? The closer we get to Jesus, we find out that we actually do have enough. We have enough when we have Jesus. Paul said in Philippians 4.12, I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.
Whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want, I have Jesus and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So it’s Jesus who fills us up. It’s Jesus who gives us contentment.
When I’m well-fed, I have Jesus. When I’m hungry, I still have Jesus. Some of us have Jesus and we still want more.
Why is that? Maybe because Jesus is in the background of our lives and this was an out for me. Because I feel that, like I really didn’t even feel okay to be up here, but I really felt that God does use just the ordinary people. So I feel that if Jesus is in the background of our lives, because our lives are so full of everything else, there’s no room for Jesus with all of our stuff and all of our busyness.
When Jesus is in the backgrounds of our lives, he’s easy to miss. But when he is in the front of our lives, when we are seeking him first in the kingdom of God, then everything will be added on to you. Less of what doesn’t matter and more of what does matter.
When we put Jesus first, we begin to understand that all we really need is him. And we will have enough. The more we have of Jesus, the more we won’t want or need stuff and other things to fill up our lives.
Can you imagine if like our calendars were so empty that we had so much time? Like unfortunately, I remember one time back in 2009 that I was without a job for a month and I got into the word and that’s all I did all day long. I wasn’t working so I just delved into the word and that is the closest that I’ve ever been with Jesus and I feel bad saying that but like sometimes God lets things happen you know for us to grow closer to him. If we got into a car accident, would we want a pile of money sitting beside us or would we want Jesus next to us? If we were in the hospital, do we need more followers on tik-tok or do we need Jesus? Do we want to send our kids to school and into this world with brand-name shoes and brand-name clothes or do we want them to have Jesus in their hearts? What’s more important? When your life comes to an end, you’re not going to care whether you traveled last year.
You’re going to care where you’re going for eternity. Because we have Jesus, we have enough. When I’m sick, he’s my healer.
When I’m sad, he’s my comforter. He’s our joy and when we’re sinning and we all do, he’s our Savior. So let us get in the habit of less is more.
So God give us less of what doesn’t matter and more of what does matter. We just ask you, Father God, to let us have more of you and less of us. We ask you to let this church be full of seekers after you, Father God, instead of seekers of stuff and busyness in their lives.
We just thank you, Father God, that you give us a new opportunity every second of the day to say we are sorry, we want you in our lives, and we want to follow you. We want less of us and more of you, Jesus. Amen.
Our life is too valuable and our calling is too great to waste our life on things that don’t last. Because you have Jesus, you have enough. So I know it was short, but less is more.