Stripping Down To The Bare Essentials

I was having some trouble uploading a particular video from vimeo, so I've done so to my facebook page. Watch that first and then read this.

About half way through this clip, Anton Krupicka says that running, and even life for him is about stripping down the amount of gear to the bare essentials. That thought has stuck with me for almost 2 weeks now. I haven't been able to let that sentence go. As I've wrestled with it over and over, the reality that struck me was that's my problem.

I make life too complicated. My tendency is to make my relationship with God too complicated. My focus can so easily shift to everything but those few things that matter most. It's all too easy for me to pick up the latest Christian book, blog, podcast instead of simply picking up my Bible and spending time with Jesus. No matter what arguments you make, spending time reading or listening to what someone else has learned about themselves and Jesus, does not automatically mean you have spend time with Jesus. I can't fully get to know my wife by talking to her best female friend about her. I've got to personally spend time with my wife!

And it's that way with Jesus. Sure, books, blogs, podcasts, even music can help us with knowing Him better. However, there just isn't any substitute for spending time with Him. Period. Try to argue with me on that. My wife would much rather me learn about her by spending time with her, rather than me talking about her with her friends.

Sure, there are more days than not that I'd rather read Donald Miller, Rob Bell, Shane Claiborne, than my Bible........

That's a big problem! I think Satan has waged an invisible war against us, with the purpose of keeping us as far away from the Scriptures as he possibly can. I have found the more that I take this battle to Satan, the more I want to read my Bible, and spend time with Jesus. The focus becomes more and more on Christ, and Christ alone.

Stripping things down to the bare essentials. We don't need any more gimmicks. We don't need any more resources. We need to take our time and efforts back to THE source, and sit at the feet of Jesus.

Are you with me?