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The message that I’m going to share this week here on the podcast actually comes from something that I preached several years ago in the Commonwealth Church where I was fellowshipping at the time. Wonderful, wonderful, powerful group of people. So creative, so vibrant, so full of the Holy Ghost. And I shared a message about all you need is less. And it was really something at the beginning, at the very early stages of a journey that I’ve taken, thinking around the concepts and the ideas and the principles of minimalism, but much more so in the context of hearing God, not being pushed from pillar to post, not being pushed around in every direction, like being caught up in the confusion that can sometimes occur in the crazy world that we now live in. So I’m going to be cutting that message down into bite size chunks for your enjoyment over this week. All You Need is less.

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What I want to share today is something that’s happening in me, happening in my life. But I’ve left the departure lounge, but I certainly haven’t come to the arrival lounge. Okay? So I’m on the journey. Just work with me. But I know that in it there’s something worth hearing and there’s something of God in what I want to share. See if we can put the PowerPoint on, if that’s okay. And the first question, I quite like interaction, if that’s all right. I’m not much of a pulpit here. I prefer to just be in it. If we’re going to have a message, let’s be in it together. Okay. This is for all the hippies in the house. I want to ask this question, okay. All you need is love. Okay. Love. Anything else, Jesus? Okay. Anything else? Money. What was that? Money? Yeah. Okay. And all you need is patience. What you need patience. Or she does double portion. They just got married. Imagine what it’s like for Larna and I. She needs like triple patience. All you need is and we can say different things, can’t we? Can say all you need is love. We could say all you need is Jesus.

00:03:27.950]
But the truth is, even Jesus didn’t believe that. Even Jesus, in the sermon on the mound when he was speaking to the people, I said, look, we know that you have need of all these things. Houses, clothes, food, friendship. We know you have need of all these things. And so in what I want to share this morning, I really want you to kind of understand that it is in context. But I want to just put this to you. All you need is less. And what I’m going to share this morning is going to just build on this idea, okay? And we’re going to just Hone in on some things and we’re going to just help bring some context to it. Now, I realise you probably can’t read that because I put it all on one slide, but who’s familiar with the story of Mary and Martha. Yeah, many of us have probably read it. It came to pass as they went. Jesus entered a certain village and there was this lady called Martha, and she received him into our house. And she had a sister called Mary. And Mary sat at Jesus feet and heard his word.

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But Martha, I love this. I’m a bit of an old King James guy. I love some of the wording in the old Martha was cumbered about much serving. Anyone here feel cumbered? Sometimes I feel cumbered. Sometimes four kids, the demands of fatherhood, the demands of business, the demands of life, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Sometimes I feel cumbered. And I’m sure that all of us do to one degree or another. And here is Martha cumbered about much serving. And she came to him and she said loud, do you not care that my sister is sat there at your feet? And I’m slaving away in the kitchen, tell her to come help. She’s left me to serve alone. Bid her, therefore, that she helped me. And Jesus answered and said, Martha, Martha, you can imagine the tone she comes in. Hair all bad hair day, sweating from doing all the stuff in the kitchen, sweating doubly because she’s absolutely mad at her sister. Martha, Martha, you are careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful. And Mary has chosen that good part, and it shall not be taken from her. I love the Amplified.

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It says, there’s need of only one or but a few things. There’s need of only one or but a few things and circumstances in our lives. Recently, Larna and I kind of forced me into a corner to consider this. I felt cumbered inwardly and outwardly. Walking around like that, I thought, well, what’s the answer to this? Is it for me to become a super? Invincible? I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But what if Jesus wasn’t requiring me to do all things? What if Jesus was saying, David, David, there’s need of only one or but a few things? Chill out, man. And we live in a culture that lifts up the invincible, lifts up the Avengers, lifts up slash the Green Arrow, Wolverine. But let me just come into this secret place. You are not a Superman or a superwoman. It’s not required of you. You are not required to be more than you were made to be. That’s a huge relief was a huge relief to me, to be able to sit down in my office at 330 in the morning because it’s the only time I get peace and quiet and say, God help me.

00:09:43.710]
And for him to say, there’s only one or but a few things that are necessary right now. You don’t have to do it all now. And you know, the funny thing is, Mary chose the better part. But let me just put this to you as well, sometimes that one thing isn’t necessarily sitting at the seat of Jesus. If you’re cumbered because your taxes are late, get your taxes done. Don’t sit at the feet of Jesus. Stop praying. Call the accountant. You will be much less cumbered and your prayers will be much more efficient afterwards. I promise you the one or the but a few things can change. Jesus wasn’t saying Mary has chosen the best thing and she never has to serve ever again. She never has to do the dishes ever again. She never has to clean house ever again. She never has to help you, Martha, ever again. He was saying, right now I’m only here for a short time. She’s made a good choice. Come on, sit down. I’m going to go. I really don’t care. Just put some 1 minute noodles in the microwave. I don’t want a three course dinner.

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Come on, just give me a pot. Noodle, that will do a blackjack an energy bar can of Coke. But he was talking about that time, that moment. And he said the one thing right now, Martha, come and sit because I’m only here for a short while and I came to visit you. I didn’t come to sample your cooking. But, you know, the following day, Jesus may have said, Mary, get up, make my dinner. I’m hungry. And sometimes we have this kind of weird way of taking a scripture completely out of its context and trying to just lay it generally over a whole life. Instead of understanding that everything takes place in a moment. Everything. See, I walk with God is not kind of one time he says something and then we live the rest of our lives never hearing again. It’s like, man, I hear something. I take a step. What next? What’s the one thing right now?

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Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you. If it was do, please consider leaving a rating and a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book, Faithful Creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can check that out at faithfulcreativebook.com. And if you choose to pick it up, use the Promo Code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first. Everything else follows.