But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicitythat is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3
I like to think I’m a pretty smart guy. However, there is mounting evidence to the contrary. Last night, before I finally fell asleep, I was having great difficulty following the British mystery Rose and I were watching. This is the second time I fell asleep on the movie. I’ll have to ask my wife, “Who done it?”
I have a game on my i-phone which I have never been able to beat, but my granddaughter, who is in 2nd grade, has beaten it seven times. The evidence continues to mount.
Lucky for me, the things I really need to know are very simple. I heard a great quote yesterday. A sermon was described as “mustard gas to faith.” The author was dealing with a situation in which the preacher had so complicated the message that the congregation was wallowing in confusion and simple faith died.
In my brief stint as a pastor I was very concerned that I didn’t know enough to lead a congregation and there is evidence that was true. One great idea God gave me (It must have come from God since there is so much evidence I’m not very bright on my own.) was to put the word “Jesus” on the front of the pulpit. The idea was that if “Jesus” was all the congregation came away with, that would be enough.
While complete knowledge of God is beyond our human comprehension, the Christian life is actually quite simple. When a man makes up his mind that God is sovereign, that Jesus is his Savior, and that the Bible is his authority, life gets very simple indeed. The closer he draws to God, the less confusing life is, while the farther he moves away from Him, the more complex his situation becomes.
When it comes to living the Christian life, less is more. Keep it simple, stupid and be blessed.
Nick
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