Notice very carefully what John is saying to us (born-again Christians addressed as “little children”) in the First Epistle of John, chapter 2, in the first two verses. He is telling us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit how we should deal with sin. But take note of what he actually says to us. Let us understand what he means by the context.

The early church was exploding with growth. One hundred twenty people met in Acts 1 and prayed for God’s power. On the day of Pentecost, three thousand were converted, baptized, and added to the local church. In Acts 4:4, another five thousand men were saved, and we see in Acts 5:14, “Believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.”

I’m going to postulate about your weekly schedule: it is too full. And I’m going to make another assumption: there is something you are regularly doing that can be removed. Am I accurate? If I was accurate on the first point, I can guarantee you that I’m accurate on the second. (If you’re not convinced, keep reading.)

When facing the uncertainties of life, insecurity sometimes wraps its ugly tentacles around our hearts. It whispers in our ear, “Yea, hath God said?” God is never the author of confusion. Confusion is a major weapon of the believer’s enemy. It brings relentless fear and must be defeated by the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Your tomorrow is already well-planned by your loving Heavenly Father, and His provision is there if you will only be still and know that He is God.

On July 4th, 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote some of the most powerful words in all of history: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Sometimes I think multi-level and multi-directional thinking is a strength. It helps me quickly assess what needs to be done and to delegate. More often, however, I’m learning that it is a weakness.

When it seems that needs are piling up all around you and no one understands, remember that the Lord understands your needs: “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5). Below, you will find a list of needs that many families in full-time Christian service (as well as many laymen) have, along with a Bible verse for each one:

“Standards,” or guidelines, that provide for biblically based decision making are the subject of much dispute both within and without fundamentalism. The reasons for this are myriad, but among them is a condemning spirit by those who hold standards different than our own, the abuse of adding to what the Word of God requires, and a failure to agree on what and where a particular standard should be.

Some of the finest members of our church are young people who grew up in our church, attended our Christian school, and are serving as laymen and women in our ministry. They are in the will of God, doing the work of God, and will have a great reward from God when they get to Heaven.

My family thinks I’m a neat freak. I think I’m just orderly. (Well, maybe it is a little over the top to look forward to a day off so I can clean out my closet.) But in all seriousness, whatever your personality type or personal level of clutter comfort, disorganization and excess clutter will waste your time and focus. And worse, it is the enemy of availability.