COMPLICATED SIMPLICITY
When a dolphin at an aquarium in Fushun, China fell ill, experts were unable to remove several objects from the animal’s stomach. But Bao Xishun, the world’s tallest man, came to the rescue. As trainers held the dolphin’s mouth open, the seven-foot-eight-inch giant shoved his arm down its throat, and successfully removed plastic items the creature had swallowed. Where modern science failed, simple human ingenuity saved the day… and the dolphin. Sometimes the simplest solutions are best.
The same is true spiritually. Jesus said, “Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in” (Luke 18:17, MSG). Paul instructs us to live in “simplicity of purpose” (Colossians 3:2, AMPC), and “don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple” (1 Corinthians 7:29, MSG).
We possess an innate ability to complicate the simplest of truths. Consider communion. When we take the bread and wine, does Jesus meet us through transubstantiation, consubstantiation, or non-substantiation? Or here’s a hot topic: Are we living in the “last days?” Good luck sorting through all the theories on that question! It’s enough to leave C.S. Lewis hiding under his desk.
Suppose we took these centuries-old teachings—all the eschatology, soteriology, and every other “ology”— and distilled them into one succinct statement, the core of the core of scripture. What would it be? How about this? “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Did anyone miss that? Maybe it’s too deep. Go back and read it again.
It seems just too… simple. Thousands of volumes and billions of words written by hundreds of scholars, all boil down to a simple children’s song? Yes. That song embodies the message of the best-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world…”
When we get this, it changes our lives. Forever. No matter who I am, or what I’ve done… Jesus loves me! No matter what happens around me, or how others define me, I have that assurance. Even if everyone forsakes me, even if I lose everything, I can cling to the simplicity of this truth: JESUS LOVES ME!
Theology is great. It’s wonderful to probe the deep principles of scripture. But in the midst of our complex research, let’s cling to the simple essence of God’s word— that Jesus loves me. And while we’re at it, pass it on to others. Remember to keep… it… simple.
Principle: Sometimes the simplest solutions are best.
Promise: No matter what happens, I have the assurance that Jesus loves me.
Ponder:
In what ways might I tend to complicate my understanding of God’s word, and my daily life?
How does the simple truth that Jesus loves me change my life?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Colossians 2:6-12.
Prayer: “Lord, I want to understand the deep issues of scripture more clearly. But help me not to lose sight of the basics core principles of the Bible.”
Perceptions: Record any ideas God puts on your heart from today’s devotion.