Habits for a Healthy Heart (2)

Introduction

Last week we talked about how we all lie to ourselves. We discussed the importance of cultivating the habit of self-examination: taking an honest, real, sincere look at our lives and giving God permission to work in us, shaping our daily lives.

Today, we’ll see that one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that "having more is better." Whatever we have, we think more is always better. This lie echoes the one the serpent told Adam and Eve in Genesis. The message the serpent gave is the same one we hear over and over throughout our days: “What you don’t have is what you need. What you don’t have is what you must have to be happy.”

Every advertisement, every marketing message tells you: what you don’t have is what you need to be happy, because having more is always better.

So, what do you need to be happy? More money, more time, more health, a newer car, more shoes, more fun, more muscles, more trips, more hair... The lie is that to be happy, you always need more. You need more money, more time, more shoes, more entertainment. You always need something you don’t have, because more is always better.

When Less is More

Let's read a story from the book of Acts, chapter 27. In this context, Paul is a prisoner who has appealed to Caesar and is being sent to Rome to be judged. This is Paul’s fourth missionary journey, and it was financed by the state. During this journey, there was a great storm near the island of Malta. We see Paul’s courage and calm in the face of the storm because God had spoken to him and assured him that no one would die, and that he would testify about Jesus in Rome.

After a period of fasting, Paul said to the others, “Today is the fourteenth day that you’ve waited and gone without food, having eaten nothing. So I urge you to take some food. This will help you survive, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” — Acts 27:33-34

He took bread, gave thanks to God in front of everyone, broke it, and began to eat. There were 276 people on board. And after they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. — Acts 27:38

Once they were satisfied, they threw away what they no longer needed. After eating enough, they lightened the ship.

This is a new concept for some: "Having enough" is when you have what you need today.

In life, the habit of simplicity is learning a three-word phrase, asking God to make it our own, to live by it. The phrase is: "I have enough."

If that’s true, can you tell your neighbor: "I have enough; I am satisfied"?

Yet none of us, by the way we live our lives, communicates that we truly believe we have enough and are satisfied with what we have.

Psalm 23 teaches us to pray: "The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. I have everything I need."

If we want to live the habit of simplicity, we must learn to pray: "Lord, give me less of what doesn’t matter to You." "Lord, give me more of what truly matters to You."

What would happen to our lives if we prayed this prayer to God every day? What would happen if this prayer became the desire of our hearts?

This is countercultural, but it is the truth that Jesus teaches us in the Gospel: "Lord, give me less of what doesn’t matter, doesn’t have value to You."

Jesus taught this principle in Matthew 6. These are Jesus’ words, not a preacher’s, not an article on Facebook. No, this is what Jesus teaches us:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth" (which is exactly the opposite of how many of us live—more stuff, wanting more), "where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." — Matthew 6:19-21

This is a truth, a habit of a healthy heart. If you want to change your life, you must change your habits. But if you want to change your habits, you need to let God change your heart.

Jesus tells us not to store up treasures of things that don’t last, don’t accumulate more than you need. Yet for many of us, accumulating is a goal, a purpose, a reason to live.

Examples:

We want to earn more, to have more money in our bank account. Why? Because most of us place our security in money, not in God.

We want new clothes. Why? Different reasons. Many need to show off, seeking external approval from others to feel better... because maybe inside, they feel empty.

Others change their kitchen or their car every three years. Why? Perhaps because their marriage isn’t going well, and they don’t want to face that situation.

These are distractions I talked about last week—finding distractions that keep us from facing the truth about ourselves.

If you want less of what doesn’t matter, if you want fewer treasures that don’t last, God’s word tells us what to do:

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus." — Hebrews 12:1-2

How do we do this? By keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Let’s throw off everything that weighs us down, every unnecessary thing, every distraction, every lie, everything that has no value to God, and keep our hearts focused on Jesus. Because when you have what you need—Jesus—then you can throw every other thing overboard, every distraction, and weight.