Life moves at dizzying speeds. Sometimes it can be difficult to keep up. We are constantly confronted with a deluge of ideas and demands competing for our attention. We may find ourselves wanting to go one way but believing that we should go another. Sometimes we even find completely opposite ideas equally compelling!
Simplicity. When the desires of our heart become one with the thoughts and intents of our mind, life begins to become simple again. We can make sense of the world around as it happens because we aren’t being pulled one way by our heart and the other by our mind. When we experience the peace of having the desires of our heart become one with the thoughts of our mind, we can face the deluge of life with confidence and assurance. And we can only experience this peace when the truth unifies our heart and mind in our love for Christ! This is why giving simple answers are important because in our dizzying world we desperately need to give answers that unify us in the truth and love of Christ.
Simplicity
2 Corinthians 11:3 (WEB) — But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
I remember when the profoundness of these words impacted my life after leaving seminary. I was drowning from seminary’s flood of ideas pulling me in so many different directions. I was never able to just breathe the fresh air of simplicity in Christ. I felt like nothing could ever “just mean” anything because everything had to be pulled to accommodate so many different interests. I left seminary confused and doubting. Then God began healing me. I started to learn the simplicity of devotion to Christ. His truth unified the desires of my heart with the thoughts of my mind in wholehearted purpose. Jesus became the unifying truth in everything I did, and so brought peace to my life.
We find the beauty of this kind of simplicity illustrated through the picture of a bride’s devotion to one husband:
2 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV) — I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
Simplicity in our relationship to God is illustrated by the picture of a bride’s singular devotion to her beloved. At the heart of simplicity is the concept of “singleness”, where our whole person becomes one in the purpose and direction of our life. When our affections, thoughts, intents, and purposes in life become divided, then we experience doubt, conflict, anxiety, and confusion because we find ourselves fighting with ourselves. But when Jesus becomes the unifying truth of our life, he brings us peace by unifying the purpose of our life in him. Our devotion to Christ becomes undivided and singular. We won’t feel like we have to balance our “secular life” against our “faith life” because the two will become one. Our workplace will become as much part of our worship to God as our church assembly! Serving our family becomes as much part of our Christian life as volunteering in church ministries. We will experience the peace of simplicity in Christ.
Giving simple answers is about giving the kinds of answers to life’s questions that bring peace to our soul by unifying our life in Christ so that we are not inwardly divided against ourselves.
Jesus reveals something very powerful on this matter:
Matthew 6:22–24 (CSB) — 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy (the adj. Ἁπλοῦς, “simple”), your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Jesus uses this same word to tell us that “if therefore your eye is simple, your whole body will be illuminated”. Jesus tells us that this attribute of singleness is healthy to the human soul; we need this singleness of purpose because it is not healthy to be inwardly divided within ourselves! All of a sudden, the reason why Jesus concludes this section with his comments about money becomes crystal clear: the throne of your heart cannot be divided between two masters. Your life cannot simultaneously pursue two different ends. Either your work, your career, your wealth, your hobbies, will divide your purpose in life and take the throne of your heart, or God will. Eventually, one great ambition will eventually be crowned king over your life.
Many of the answers we hear given to the questions of life today are divided in their loyalties. Sometimes we answer the questions of one part of our life with answers that lead to entirely different ends than the answers we give to questions in other parts of our life.
I remember I was watching the Minority Mindset and listening to the host, Jaspreet Singh talk about how so many people are actively fighting against their own financial interests because they set goals to build future wealth, but then dream dreams about living luxurious lives and so they end up zeroing out their bank account every paycheck. Their purposes in life are divided against themselves. On the one hand, they want to build wealth, but on the other hand, they want to enjoy nice things now. The answers we sometimes give to our financial questions often end up working directly against our desires to have fun now. This is what it means to be divided. When our purposes in life become divided against themselves, our souls become shrouded in the darkness of confusion, doubt, strife, and chaos.
Instead, we need simple, undivided answers that share the same end. When Christ has been enthroned in our heart, the answers we give to life should have him as their end. Whether those questions pertain to marriage, work, or politics, our answers should have Christ as their ultimate end. Then we will experience the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding. And that is the purpose of this blog, to give simple answers from Biblical truths that unify our life in the love of Christ!
1st Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
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Interesting insight on single vision. When you cross your eyes and see double, you grope and grasp at air, lose balance, don’t know what’s sound or solid, and end up with a headache with the confusion. Simple, single vision is what we all want of our eyes, but Satan would rather we had double spiritual vision. Hmmm, that could preach. Thanks, David. Good to see your blogs again.
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Thank you brother! Exactly. Spiritual double-vision causes us to stumble around. 😀 You’ll have to let me know if you end up preaching on something like this. I’d love to hear it. 😀
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Hi David. I think I read you have been building a congregation. Good for you. Thought about you the last couple of days.
There is a tendency to fear to many cooks in the kitchen which causes clicky superiority and judgemental attitudes.
If someone darkens the door they are showing to some level they want God. Condescension from leaders that these are the trailer trash is a sin and we are all equal. Like Political Governance the chance to work for the people to help them is a honor not a lordship. (seen all that.. )
The central focus should always be picking out where Jesus is in the bible and what his plan for us is. The gospel, being godly, truly trusting him. judgmental condescension of those not in your wheelhouse of understanding is a way for you to alienate yourself from God. A way to press in to God is to do the opposite.
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And I am not saying such to say to you specifically I don’t know you. But I know past experience of starting churches. The weeds of getting things going is tuff but the blessings make it worth it. But the above is a pitfall.. Just a heads up. Blessings.
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