Simplifying and Our Hearts…

Last week during our Easter week studies, we read in Matthew 23 about Jesus rebuking the Pharisees for their outward behavior and their sinful hearts. They only focused on how “holy” they looked {and others} on the outside, but on the inside their hearts were not pure.

This particular verse was one that has been on my mind since,

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. ” {v.25-26}

So many times I tell my kids that I want them to behave the same way whether I am in the room or out of the room. I care more about what their hearts are telling them to do, than how they look on the outside.

I want that for our family. I want us to be clean on the inside, so then the outside will naturally follow. It is not about “appearing” good, but having a heart that is seeking good, above all else.

Simplifying to me is about getting rid of so much that makes us “appear” a certain way-getting rid of ideas that we need to “look” a certain way, our homes need to “look” a certain way, or even our homeschools are to be a certain way.

The core of simplifying is focusing on our insides and not the outside.

Ultimately at the end of this life, we will be accountable to the Lord for what we have done. Not what we have. We will be accountable for our behavior, our relationships, and our hearts.

So I am choosing to get rid of the ideas that I need to accumulate more stuff to be happy. The ideas that I need to strive to make things a certain way.

All I really need is between the front and back cover of my Bible,

and a constant clinging to the Lord.

He will provide for our needs when we put HIm first.

He will make me clean inside…and out.

Thank you to all who have purchased by eBook, Simply Homeschool. It was #1 this week at Amazon.com for Homeschooling books. I am humbled that so many people are be being blessed by it.
Simply Homeschool is now just $0.99 for download or for Kindle at Amazon.com Click here for more info

Click here to visit Heart of the Matter.

And…I will be speaking at Heart of the Matter’s Online Conference April 12-14. I am presenting, “Taking the “School” Out of Homeschool: Homeschooling as a Lifestyle:”

Register now. It is only $9.95 for the entire conference and access to all mp3’s after the conference is over!

Click here to view more details and to register!

SimplyLivingforHim

April 10, 2012 by Karen DeBeus

Karen DeBeus

Join me on my journey to clear the clutter as I am simply living...for Him! I am a homeschooling mom sharing about my faith, family, hobby-farm life, and Jesus. I am also an author and speaker and love sharing my journey with others- and I am all about keeping it real and authentic! Join me as I seek less of this world and more of Jesus! Karen DeBeus is a homeschooling mom learning to live more simply and keep God at the center of it all. She is the author of three best-selling homeschooling books and writes at Simply Living for Him. She speaks nationally at homeschooling conventions and recently was a speaker at the Family Bible Conference in Washington, DC. Her passion is to help others clear the clutter from their lives, seek God first, and to encourage women and families to get in the Word every day. In 2016, she founded the Simply Living for Him Retreat, which is a time of rest and renewal for all women seeking Jesus. She enjoys life on her hobby farm with her husband and four children. Together they are a work-at-home family pursuing a simple life with purpose and, above all, seeking to glorify God in all they do.