Clutter Free Christianity
Robert Jeffress
Reviewed by Teresa Konopka
“Clutter-FREE Christianity: What God Really Desires for You” by Robert
Jeffress is a journey in its own. Unbeknownst to what the cover
may
imply, the book does not really tackle the clutter of business, work,
and other distractions. Rather, it focuses on the heart of every
Christian.
In Jeffress’ opinion, one can call him- or herself a
Christian until the cows come home. They can pray sporadically,
whenever they feel the need for some desire to be granted, as if they
are communicating with a supernatural genie. They can go to
church
intermittently, commit adultery, curse, and do other immoral
acts.
However, they are not true Christians--they are only Christians in
name. To be a true Christian, Jeffress believes people need to
move
away clutter (basically misconceptions about faith).
He clears
up the notion that prayer is for wishes. He expounds in great
detail
how the purpose of prayer is for one go become closer with God.
He
proves this by referencing many Bible passages, especially one that
depicts Jesus taking time out of his day to pray to the Father.
There
is a whole chapter on the notion of want. Jeffress says it’s okay
to
desire material possessions, but this must not get too out of
hand.
For instance, he suggests graciously thanking the Lord for gifts but
not whining to the Creator about how you want your possession to be
bigger, better, faster, or more expensive.
Additionally,
Jeffress emphasizes the idea of becoming a servant like Christ for a
reward. He notes how Christ humbled Himself in the form of a man
and
was crucified all for the reward of being placed at the right hand of
God. In a emulating fashion, Jeffress insists that if readers put
others’ needs above their own, they will gain favor with the
Lord.
Then, Jeffress quotes the Scripture when Jesus says that whatever
anyone does for the least of his brethren, he does for Him. There
are
also many sections that speak of forgiveness. Jeffress says that
only
by forgiving others can readers ever be forgiven by God. He cites
several Bible parables to prove this. He then proceeds to talk
about
the difficulties of forgiveness as well as its benefits.
This
quaint little book is an excellent gift for anyone wishing to deepen
their walk with God or just begin to meet Him. While it is
primarily
aimed at Christians, anyone can benefit from its golden rule ideologies
and recipes for stress-free success / peace. At the end of the
book,
there is even a set of discussion questions that can either be answered
privately in a journal or openly in a study group.