Daily Devotionals

In the years I have lived by faith, I’ve noticed that it’s easy to become entangled in the affairs of this life. In fact, it sometimes seems as though this world is like an octopus always trying to grab you with its tentacles. If you don’t watch out, it will wrap itself around you until you’re completely caught up in the mundane, trivial things of this world.

            If you let them, those trivial pursuits will hold you down and keep you from soaring on into the eternal things of God. They will choke out the Word that has been planted in your heart and leave you without faith and without power. That’s what Mark 4:18-19 is talking about.

            Here in the United States, we must be especially vigilant against such entanglements because we have such an abundance of material possessions! We can easily end up spending all our time just taking care of them.

            As the Lord told a friend of mine in prayer one day, this nation has become a nation of maintenance men. We maintain our house. We maintain our yard. We maintain our car and our hair, our nails and our clothes. The problem is, by the time we’ve done what it takes to maintain all the natural things in our lives, we often don’t have any time left to maintain the spirit man who lives on the inside of us.

            There’s only one thing to do: Simplify your life.

            “But Gloria,” you say, “the things I do are important. I can’t just cut them out of my life!”

            Listen, there’s nothing more important than spending time with God in prayer and in the Word. So make whatever adjustments you must to spend time with God. Whenever you take on anything new, count the cost—not just in money, but in time. Ask yourself, Can I afford this spiritually? Can I spare the precious hours and minutes this project (possession, hobby, etc.) will require and still have plenty of time to fellowship with the Lord?

            If the answer is no, then set that project aside. I realize that may mean passing up some things you enjoy, but remember, your aim is not to please yourself. It’s to please the One Who enlisted you. And believe me, when you make sacrifices for Him, He always makes sure you’re well-rewarded—not only in this age, but in the age to come. Walking in obedience and fellowship with God is “the good life.”

Speak the Word 

I lay aside every weight which so easily besets me. (Hebrews 12:1)