SIMPLICITY

 
November 18, 2020                                   SIMPLICITY
1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
2 Thessalonians 3:5, 16 “And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.”     “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!”
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good courage; I have overcome the world.”
As a culture, we have turned from God and we have chosen to go our own way. We have become humanistic in our thinking and in our behavior, making personal satisfaction our pursuit in life. The fallout for our decision to go our way instead of God’s way have been horrendous; each of us are well aware of, and have been touched by the fallout. Addictions, broken relationships, deviant behavior, and lawlessness-just to name a few-or all prevalent in our society. With that being said, let us turn to the good news. Even though we live in such a culture as we do, we can discover the life that God has for us; we do not have to live according to the ways of the world around us, but can live according to the ways of God and experience His blessings. Romans 12:2 instructs us not to be conformed to the ways of this world, but instead, be transformed. I often hear others expressing a desire for a return to simpler times, to a time when life was not so complicated and rushed. The beauty of God and His word to us is that His ways are indeed simple, even though profound and life changing. When we hear what God says about life and how we are to live it, it may sound too good to be true. The ways of God are not burdensome; He came to bear our burden and give us life to the fullest without regret. Some may view the commands of God as impossible to keep, or burdensome; however as we discover our true identity as His sons and daughters, we find that His commands become our desire and we find that walking in His ways flows out of the new nature that He has given us. Just one example: if we prefer others more important than ourselves as the God said to do, what an impact that would have on relationships; preferring others is not a difficult thing to do and it leads to life-it’s just a matter of doing it. Do not misunderstand: to walk in the ways of God does not mean that we will escape trials and troubles, and it does not mean that ‘we should bury our heads in the sand’ when it comes to dealing with the trials we and others are confronted with. However, we can deal with the difficulties in a way according to the ways of God, with His strength, with His compassion, and with the wisdom He gives us. In fact, it is in the face of trials that the life of Christ may shine forth in a strong way. So, let us remain in the ‘simplicity of Christ’ and let us experience His life in us-that is His heart for us.
Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Matthew 11:29-30 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Blessings,
Buddy