I used to know a guy who always talked aloud to himself, saying, “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” I would politely giggle and chide him for putting himself down. But sometimes I wonder if perhaps he wasn’t onto something. After all, why do we make everything so complicated?
I decided to do a simple DIY project. So, I bought a new bathroom vanity. The vanity came preassembled with everything I needed, cabinet doors, drawers, hardware, sinks, and countertop. All I had to do was pull out the old bathroom cabinets and set the new vanity in their place. How hard could this be? Yeah, right, who was I kidding? 4 days later, after six trips to Home Depot and many tears of frustration, the vanity project was finally complete. As I stood admiring my handiwork, I wondered how something seemingly simple could be so complicated.
But isn’t this the way of man? God gave us simple things, yet we always seem to make them so complicated. A perfect example is prayer. God gave us prayer as a means to communicate with him. But sometimes, I’ve sat in bible study listening to others praying and thought, “Wow, I have a lot to learn.” So, of course, when the leader asked if anyone wanted to lead the closing prayer at the end of class, there was absolutely no way I was going to raise my hand. After all, I didn’t know how to pray eloquently. I didn’t want to look foolish.
A Simple Model of Prayer
Yet, Jesus gave us a simple model of how to pray with the Lord’s prayer. (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:1-4) The prayer taught six steps:
- Address God appropriately as the Father.
- Praise God for who he is and what he has done.
- Pray for God’s will or plans to be accomplished.
- Pray for Your Needs.
- Confess your sin and ask for forgiveness.
- Pray for protection from the evil one.
But sadly, Jesus knew we would manage to mess this up because before he taught us the steps for praying, He said, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6: 5-6, NIV)
One Simple Rule
But it’s not just prayer. People have been complicating life since the garden of Eden. When God created the world, He had a simple plan. God created Adam and Eve. Then “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28, NIV) After God gave them their mission, He gave them only one rule. “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:17, NIV)
God even placed them in the Garden of Eden where they walked in beauty and communion with God for eternity. They had the life of luxury. But Adam and Eve messed up this beautiful simple gift by disobeying. Why? Because the serpent made them think God was holding out on them. So despite God’s warning, they ate from the forbidden tree, which resulted in ejection from the garden and their simple life, and eventual death. (Genesis 3) This became the first sin, or what the bible calls the Fall.
Ten Simple Commandments
So, later, knowing man needed help with free will and sin, God gave his people ten simple commandments. He knew if he told us, in black and white, or rather on stone tablets, what we should and should not do, then people could have an easier life. (Exodus 20)
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make idols.
- You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet.
God gave His people ten simple commandments. However, over time, people turned them into 613 laws. Some scholars believe there may have even been over a thousand. Either way, people seriously complicated the commandments. They were so complicated it was impossible for imperfect humans to follow them all. So, of course, despite the original simple plan, we continue to sin. “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20, NIV)
A Simple Solution for Sin
God gave us His Law to define sin. And the law demonstrated our need for a Savior. Therefore, God gave us a simple solution. He loved us so much He sent Jesus to save us. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:1-3, NIV)
Once Jesus came, He gave us eternal life and His righteousness. He restored man’s right relationship with God. Then Jesus condensed the Ten Commandments into two simple ones. (Matthew 22: 37-40):
- Love God
- Love others
Yet despite these two simple commands, rather than love, we find all kinds of reasons to judge other people and to be offended by their actions and beliefs.
The Simple Truth
And speaking of beliefs, the bible gives us the gospel, or simple truth about Jesus being the world’s savior. Jesus instructed us to share this gospel so everyone can be saved. God even gave us the body of Christ, the church, to help us do this. Yet, people have turned Christianity into many denominations. Each has its own complicated rituals and laws. And many denominations judge others. So, if you do not follow their religious rules and believe exactly as they do, they reject you.
Again, Jesus knew we would mess up our simple mission of sharing His gospel, for He warned, “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. ” (Matthew 24:10-13, NKJV)
My Mistake
I made this mistake, too. My sister and I were both saved at the same time after the death of a loved one. However, my sister chose to leave her nondenominational church and become Catholic. She made this choice because our grandmother was Catholic. She merely wanted to honor her. But I foolishly told her she was making a mistake. I tried to point out religious traditions in the Catholic church, which I deemed wrong. My sister grew angry and shut me out. She wouldn’t speak to me for many years.
The lesson I learned was we were both Christians. We both believed in Jesus. We were both trying to live our lives pleasing God and becoming more like Jesus. I, however, was judging her. I was wrong. And this nearly cost me my relationship with my sister. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1, NIV)
A Simple Life
Jesus modeled how to live a simple life. Unlike people in our culture who always covet someone’s bigger, better home, He was homeless. He wasn’t concerned with society’s expectations or gaining followers. Despite all His Godly knowledge and wisdom, rather than preaching a long sermon, he told stories or asked questions. He didn’t hold grudges. Instead, He prayed for His enemies. Jesus spent His days helping others, loving others, and bringing them the truth of salvation. And He was all about spending time alone in prayer and communion with Father God. And even when he died, he was buried in a borrowed tomb. Yet today, our culture teaches us to desire wealth, power, and possessions. And many people spend far too much time on social media, coveting others or trying to look good.
Now, I am not saying we need to be poor and homeless. But I think we can learn a few things from Jesus’ example. We can be grateful for what we have, love others, and share the gospel. Rather than worry, we can pray. We can prioritize spending time with God over busily running all over town checking items off a to-do list. Remember the story of Mary and Martha? Martha was frantically busy and worried. But Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, “‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10: 41-42, NIV)
How to Simplify Our Lives:
So friends, let’s stop trying so hard to fill our busy schedules, checking off all our boxes. We don’t have to do everything and be perfect to be a good Christian. Remember, God loves you, just the way you are! Let’s keep it simple. Let’s stick to the two simple commands Jesus gave us.
- Love God We love God by spending time building our relationship with Him. We can seek Him in prayer, listen, and worship.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13, NIV) “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103 NIV) “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” (Psalm 150:6, NIV)
- Love Others “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16, NIV)
It’s time to follow Jesus’ advice. God gave us one simple word to keep it simple in life: love! “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
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