OVER LOADED

Image courtesy of: www.Pixabay.com   

OVER LOADED.

Are you overloaded?  I am.

A couple of generations ago, when I was just a kid

there was an old saying that said;

"Three moves equal one burnout."  The meaning being,

every time you move your home, or residence, you 

eliminate all the extra stuff you have so you do not 

have to take it with you.  Three moves that way and

you throw away enough stuff to equal the house being 

burned down.

A few years ago God enabled us to move into a new

house.  The old house was old when I bought it and

after living in it for 36 years it was even older.  A real

good description would be it was "wore out".

The new house is on the same piece of property so

it was not necessary to tear down the old house right

away.  Some places you could not get away with that.

But in this area we can.

Finally the time came to begin cleaning up and tearing

down the old house.  WOW!  I do not know how else

to say it.  I could not believe how much was in the old

house that needed to be given away, sold, recycled or

thrown away.  And we have lived several years without

needing any of it.   So, why did we have it to start with?

Life seems to be that way.  We gain a lot of excess stuff

that we just have to have.  Then we go rent a storage

building to hold all the stuff we don't need to start with.

God speaking through the Apostle Paul said;

"For we have brought nothing into the world,

so we cannot take anything out of it either."  

(1 Timothy 6:7 NASB) 

Personally over the last few years I have been getting

rid of a lot of "stuff".  Believe it or not, the less I have

the less work and worry I have.  I am enjoying it. I can

either spend more time enjoying life or, and more 

important, preparing myself for that day thats coming

when I stand before God and give an account of myself.

TO VALUABLE TO USE.

Images courtesy of: www.Pixabay.com  

TO VALUABLE TO USE.

In the motorcycle world I noticed something.

The more the motorcycle cost - the less it is rode.

Take an expensive custom bike.

Pay $50,000.00 to $100,000.00 for the motorcycle

and you will not see it on the road.  There is too much

chance it might get scratched, or heaven forbid, get

some dust or dirt on it.

Take the junk motorcycle below.

The owner will ride it everywhere and just have

a blast riding it.

If it gets a scratch or a dent.  Well, it just got

more character.

The expensive motorcycle.
The only time you will see it on the road is on a trailer
on the way to a motorcycle show.

Am I saying, "Get a cheap motorcycle."  NO.
I am saying we have missed placed values.

A short time back I saw a "baseball card" up for auction.
The current bid at that time was $21,500.00.  If you could
get it at one tenth of that price, what on earth good is it to
anyone?  Well, except to care for and protect it.

Or,
a shelf full of inexpensive "nick nacks".  What is their
value?  Just something to dust and keep from breaking.

A mess of "stuff" is not life.

God said,
"Beware, and be on your guard against every form
of greed; for not even when one has a abundance
does his life consist of his possessions."
(Luke 12:15 NASB)

GET MORE STUFF

GET MORE STUFF

Buy more, beg for more, collect more but any way you 

can get all the things you can.  You see, there is a 

distinct advantage to having lots and lots of "stuff".

Let me explain.

I first noticed the advantage to having a lot of things with my

wife's plants.  She has to water and care for them every once

in a while.  And, some of those neat plants have to be brought

into the house during the winter.  Then taken back out in the 

spring.

This of course gives her added work every few days.

Nice, right?

Ouch!

The photo below is from my shop.

I have more motorcycles than I can ride at one time.

But that is O.K.  Even if they might not be running

I can pay personal property taxes on them.  Pay license

and insurance fees.  And even better, pay for any repairs

they need.

Oh!, the joy of having lots of "stuff".

And most of the things we get have to be "stored" some

where.  Isn't that thrilling?

We have relatives that have several pieces of property

scattered around.  They get to pay taxes, repairs and

maintenance fees on a regular basis.  Guess what?

It has become a real burden to them.

Here is a fact that most of us seem to forget.

"But godliness actually is a means of great gain

when accompanied by contentment.  For we have

brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take

anything out of it either.  If we have food and covering,

with these we shall be content.  But those who want to

get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many 

foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into

ruin and destruction."

(1 Timothy 6:6-9 NASB)

Have I learned anything from this.

YES! 

I have already hauled off several truck loads of "stuff"

to the sale.  And have given more away.  You guessed

it.  I have more free time on my hands and live just as

well - if not better than before.

One other thing.

This coming week end

even the motorcycles go up for sale.

LEARNING FROM BEDOUINS

Looking around the house I see nicknacks, ornaments, decorations

and just "stuff".  All sitting, doing nothing but being in the way

and gathering dust.

My shop has more chain saws than I can keep running and more motorcycles

than I can ride at one time.  There are even new unused tools sitting and 

gathering dust and rust.

As you would guess, there are things around that the grandchildren
just had to have.  But now grandpa has to take care of - just in case
some year or other they decide to play with them again.

Sound familiar?

Something is wrong!

I am not suggesting that we return to horse and buggy days.

But there is wisdom in a statement made by Dr. Bob Pierce when

talking with Dr. Wes Ulrich in a Jordan hospital years ago.

"But here!  These Bedouins are living as they did three or four

thousand years ago.  They don't even want what we have in

the West; they don't even miss television and such, they don't

covet our way of life."

(BOB PIERCE This One Thing I Do  p.167) 

"Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world.

If you love the world, you do not love the Father.  Everything

that belongs to the world - what the sinful self desires, what people

see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud

of - none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world."

(1 John 2:15,16 GNB)