November 4
Simple
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. ––Micah 6:8
I just wasn’t getting it. Physics wasn’t a class I’d planned to take in college, but here I was, in need of a science course to fill a requirement. Why hadn’t I just taken Oceanography? I felt as lost as a goose in a hailstorm—and it was only three weeks into the quarter. I sought help from a couple of my more science-minded friends on particular theories or formulas, and inevitably, their explanations would begin, “It’s simple…”. Simple for you, maybe, but not for me.
Simple sounds great. Then come the details, the rules, the “step-by-step” directions. (Ah, but if only that 112-piece IKEA living room cabinet were that simple, right?) Life as an adult in modern America is what we can safely call the very opposite of simple––complicated, confounding, and oftentimes complex.
In God’s Kingdom, however, simple is a rhythm, not a mystery; an open path, not a confusing spaghetti bowl of possible onramps and overpasses. In describing the Kingdom, Jesus told the Pharisees,
The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is,” because the kingdom of God is in your midst. ––Luke 17:20-21
Jesus explains that the Kingdom is an internal, accessible reality rather than a distant, complex earthly empire. In fact, the Kingdom is with us—we are His Church, this collection of brothers and sisters united in faith and linked together by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is simple but powerful arithmetic, not complicated trigonometry.
Simple, however, does not mean we won’t face burdens. When we put on his yoke, it is still a yoke—a responsibility; a covenant; a commission. But we also know that His yoke is easy (uncomplicated) and that His burden is light, and that we will find rest for our souls. (See Matthew 11:28-30).
Don’t over-complicate your walk with Jesus. Remember that the Greatest Commandment is simple: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
Man of God, keep it simple, and as you seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, all these things (your earthly needs) shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).
Father, many mornings I wake up feeling overwhelmed by the mountain of decisions and problems facing me. Help me keep it simple by focusing first on You, and waiting on You to order my priorities and steps.