Topic: Loving the Life of Simplicity [Thursday June 8, 2017]
Key Scripture: Luke 10: 41,42
“And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed…”
I had to come to a place in my life where God had me focus on the idea of simplicity, and I suspect it may be the same for you. During this time, I was very complicated in most everything I did. I could not even entertain friends without complicating it.
Not only were my actions complicated but also my thought processes. I complicated my relationship with God because I had a legalistic approach to righteousness. To me, life itself was complicated. I felt that I had a lot of complex problems, and I didn’t realize they were that way only because my approach to life was complicated. And when we are complicated inside, then everything else in life seems that way.
James 1:6 says, “The double-minded (complicated, bewildered) man is unstable in all his ways…”
For years, I sought for many things—answers to my situations, healing, success in my ministry, changes in my family, etc. Finally, I learned about the “one thing” I was supposed to be seeking. And what was that one thing?
Psalm 27:4 gives us the answer. “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.”
We make it overly complex, but it really is simple. The “one thing” is spending time with God and to look to Him for everything we need. It is the “seek first the kingdom of God” strategy that leads to the rest of fulfillment in our lives.
No matter what you face, if you ask God what the simple approach would be, I believe you will be amazed at the ideas you’ll get from Him to help solve them. The Holy One lives in you and although He is awesomely powerful, He is also awesomely simple. The Holy Spirit will teach you simplicity if you truly want to learn.
Final Thoughts and Action Items
I think it’s important to end with this. On the road to making decisions, whether that’s to refuse to regret or dread, or even to choose simplicity, you will make mistakes along the way—you’ll not always get it right. But here is the beautiful thing about that: no one learns to hear from God without making those mistakes. Don’t be overly concerned about errors. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Learn from your mistakes, correct the ones you can and move forward.
Action Items
What are a couple areas in your life (in relationships, decisions or career) that you are over-complicating?
Make the calculated decision to choose simplicity. Today, as you encounter various circumstances, ask God to help you locate the simplest route to fix it.
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