2024

A Time To Cast Away

Ecclesiastes 3:6    … a time to cast away.

  If you are like me, you can look around your house and realize that we have the tendency to hoard things. I kind of have a clutter mentality. Even though things like organized and "neat”, there still is a lot of clutter. Not long ago I was cleaning out my tool shed and was coming across things that I know I will never use. But you still have in the back of your mind, well, maybe, in the future I will need it. Even though you cannot find one reason why you would ever need it or even how you acquired the item. As we read here in Ecclesiastes, we can see what Solomon is trying to get us to understand. God has reasons for everything that happen or does not happen. We need to spend time to learn more of God’s nature to help us understand. Clutter is a great way to not be able to find something. We will find it hard for us to find God if our lives are cluttered. When he says there is a time to cast away, or some versions say throw away, we need to understand, this will be very important for us to be able to get closer to God.

Let’s start here, we will focus on the physical aspect of casting things away.

1^st Timothy 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

1^st Timothy 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Psalm 49:16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased;

Psalm 49:17 For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: His glory shall not descend after him.

 Pretty simple. We cannot take anything with us when we leave this earth to go be with Jesus. When we were born, we had nothing, and we will leave with nothing when we die. There in verse 8 it says we should be content with just food and clothing. Clearly this is a great example of how not to start to clutter our lives. When we look at our homes and see all that we have collected over the years, have those items helped us grow closer to God? I am not saying we should not have things; God is clear we are to be prosperous. I am not saying to get rid of everything you own, even though Jesus did ask of that to the rich man in Matthew 19. His possessions were stumbling block and getting rid of them was the only way he could have truly followed Christ. We must ask, is there anything I need to cast away that may be a stumbling block with my walk in Christ?

 Back to when I was uncluttering my shed, there were many things I was getting rid of still of value. Some would have been pricy brand new. I had made it a habit to give those things away, and not ask for any money . It was no longer any use to me but would be great use to someone else. I have learned to be a charitable giver in this sense. You know the saying, "someone’s garbage is someone else’s treasure”.

Proverbs 22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; For he giveth of his bread to the poor.

  I used this verse, to let us know that we should give and not expect anything in return. When we are casting things away, it does not only mean to just throw it out but maybe donate it to some in need.

Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Now let’s take a look at the spiritual side of casting things away.

  I can only truly give an example of my own life. I will admit my mind is at times very cluttered with thoughts, ideologies, ways, etc... that need to be cast away. As I get older and more stubborn, I will admit, sometimes it is hard.

Matthew 6:19-21 (19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (21) for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 Here we see Jesus we should be laying treasures in Heaven. This is a very spiritual ideology, for we already know we cannot take physical things to heaven.  This will come as our mind set and how we react to that mindset. If our minds are set on worldly ideologies, there will not be room for God in our lives. This is where it gets tough. It is important that we start casting away all of our worldly ideology and make room for God’s ideology. The best way to put it is we will start to give up things that distract us from following God.

Phillipians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

  Here Paul writes that he has given everything up to follow Christ. Nothing of this world was good enough to take the place of the knowledge of Christ. He cast away himself to fully submerge himself to Christ. Paul casted away his mind set and ideology to make room for the knowledge of Christ. Nothing else mattered to him. Think about the world we live in today. Think abut how easily our minds can be set in a different direction. When we watch the news or see something political that drives us crazy, do we keep Godly thoughts or do we allow other thoughts to be taking the place of Godly thoughts. Those are the ones we need to be casting out. It is tough, especially since we are being so emotionally attacked. Our emotions need to be cast aside, and allow God to have a better, neater, more organized place in our minds to establish himself.

Romans 8:5-6  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

  We must cast away worldly things. Anything that takes our focus off of Christ only inhibits the full glory we can receive from God. We ask ourselves, how come we do not see the great things today that we read about in the Bible? The reason is us. We have filled ourselves with so much garbage. We are not casting away things that do not pertain to God. We have cluttered our lives so much there is not enough room for God to manifest Himself in us.

Lets start casting away!