PRaP 9-12-2005

"Definition of Stuff"

I know that yesterday hit home with a lot of people and some may have thought
I directed the message right at them. First off it wasn't my message to
you it was a message from God. Secondly it home with me too. Maybe I
wasn't clear enough on my communication of what "Stuff" is. Stuff is
anything that removes your focus from God's will in your life. The
examples I used from Kings, David and Solomon affect us all in one way or
another. David's big issue was lust, Solomon's was not only lust but it
was material possessions. The examples from the New Testament were of
greed and the love of money. "Stuff" is not just the material things that
we buy to please our flesh. There are other definitions of "Stuff" here.
Like our jobs, eating habits, even in some cases other people. Mine is
computers and eating habits. God is working on me with my "Stuff" I pray
that He works with you on yours. The best way that I know of to measure a
problem with your stuff is number one does it cause a health problem when
you do it, and number two if it were taken from you would it devastate you
to the point of extreme depression. If either one of those is true then
your "Stuff" is taking you away from God's will in your life. You can
compare this to alcoholism and tobacco addictions. You do not recognize it
as a problem until it affects your health or that of someone else. Tobacco
addicts can think of nothing else but when is my next cigarette break or do
I have enough to get me through the night. Have I budgeted enough money to
get my smokes for the week. In most cases they will even do without food
in order to get cigarettes. The same holds true for the alcoholic and the
drug addict. These things in which I speak of pull us away from God's plan
and His will in our life. So time for an inventory. "What's up with your
stuff?"

PRaP John 3:1-21