Simplified

"And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death." Jeremiah 21:8

Photo: geralt pixabay

Good morning, dear friends,

It is not an oversimplification for me, to say that I like simple things.

At least, I think I do.

(My husband and children probably disagree.  Maybe I should ask them before I publish this blog.)

I like walks. And books.  Flowers.  Making shapes out of the clouds.  Eating peanut butter straight out of the jar.  Plain popcorn.  Naps.  Staring off blankly into space.  ("Uh oh, Mom's gone to her happy place again.") 

There are so many things in life that are complicated and difficult, and there is so much to life that shouldn't be.  I think we as human beans love taking what should be simple and making it very complicated (especially here in France, dealing with the government, but I digress.)

How many of life's greatest truths, especially with my walk with God, should really be quite simple.

1.  Believe, and be saved.  This is one of the big questions of life.  When Paul and Silas were asked directly, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" their answer was not a long, theological discourse.  It was an invitation:  "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16:31) There were no works involved, no special incantations, no rites or rituals, just belief.  If you have never taken the opportunity to believe to be saved, may today be the day.  (You can find out more on my "Home Away from Home" page at the top of this blog.)

2.  Between life and death, choose life.  My morning reading in Jeremiah brought me to the passage at the top of this blog.  The city of Jerusalem was well on its way to being destroyed.  God gave the people a choice:  leave the city and go into captivity, and live, or stay in their stubbornness and die.  Other passages in the Bible, such as Ezekiel 33:11 and Deuteronomy 30:15, encourage the same choice.  Follow after God, and live, or choose to rebell, and die.  There really are no other options, and the choice should be very simple:  choosing to follow God means life, and life more abundantly. (John 10:10) 

3.  Between two paths, follow God's.  So many choices in life can be made simple, if I just remember God's Word and Jesus's teachings.  Isaiah 30:21 reminds me to keep my ears in tune with God's Word:  "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." God desires more than anything to see His children choosing to walk in obedience to Him, and many times my feet want to go my way.  Proverbs 16:25 is a good reminder to me:  "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

4.  Between two worlds, choose the eternal one.  The world that I live in has many natural beauties, but I should remember that this world is not my final one.   I am reminded in I John 1:15,17: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world...the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."  Instead of being too comfortable with my present surroundings, may I like Abraham, look "for a city, whose builder and maker is God."  (Hebrews 11:10)

Life can get pretty messy, but it doesn't always have to be.  So many things can become clearer, if I will just take the time to remember God's Word, choose His ways, and allow Him to guide my steps.  When I seek my own ways and my own thoughts, that's when things usually get complicated.

Maybe it's time to simplify things a bit today...