DAILY DEVOTIONAL – July 17, 2019
“Simply Complicated”
Prayer: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. God help us to remember as we stand in awe of how big You are, that our relationship with You is not complicated at all but very simple. It is a relationship of faith and trust. Especially during the tough times in life, strengthen our faith to trust in you like a little child. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Scripture: Mark 10:14-16
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
Devotion – “Simply Complicated”
As a young man learning to grow up in my faith, I was fortunate enough to have several strong Christian men that I was able to talk to candidly, ask serious questions, bring my struggles to and learn from. One of those men was my grandfather. I remember on several occasions the advice my grandfather gave me when I would talk to him about particularly hard and difficult circumstances. During the times I felt most confused by the challenges I faced, my grandfather would say, “Son, life isn’t really that hard. Life isn’t all that complicated.”
My grandfather’s words seemed so enigmatic and so contrary everything I was thinking and feeling at the time, but looking back on it years later with a bit more mature faith and understanding, I think that was my grandfather’s intention all along. I think he knew that at the time I wouldn’t really be able to understand his advice until I had time to experience more of life and grow in my faith.
I’m certainly not suggesting I have got it all figured out now, but I think I do understand a lot more of what my grandfather was telling me. Over the years I came to learn more about my grandpa’s life; how he grew up as a young orphan being passed back and forth between foster homes, worked two jobs while going to school full time as a newly married man, how he and my grandmother struggling through tragic loss, how his lifelong career and commitment to a company was taken away because he wouldn’t compromise his Christian values, how he took care of my grandmother most of her life as she struggled with significant health issues and much more. The more I came to know of what my grandfather and grandmother had been through, the less his advise to me made sense. “Life isn’t that hard or complicated” my grandfather said…but how could he say that with all that he had been through, and the pains I knew he and my grandmother still carried?
Well, as I grew and continue to mature in my faith and work through my own hardships in life, my grandfather’s words became and continue to become more clear. My grandpa was not saying that living in this broken world and as a broken sinful person isn’t hard…as I am sure you have all experienced equally in your own way…dealing with difficult circumstances we face is hard. However, as difficult and as complicated as circumstances may seem and may in fact be, the answer and resolution to those circumstances is not hard or complicated – in fact it is quite simple – it’s faith. Simple, trust in God.
Life is hard. Life can be very complicated. But the solution for all of our difficult times is very simple; trusting in Christ. As Jesus said in our Mark text for today, “15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Our sin, and the sin of all mankind has created a mess of this life and this world. We all face truly difficult and confusing circumstances in life because of that sin, but much like a child, by faith and trust in God we rely on His power to overcome our hardship and help us endure, and His wisdom to bring resolution to life’s complications in His time and His way. But no matter how the specifics may play out, God’s answer, the answer to living and experiencing the joy Jesus promised us that transcends our circumstances, is always a simple one. Trust, and faith like a child.
It is by faith and trust alone in the blood of Christ that we are not only saved from sin and death and brought into the Kingdom of God, but it is by that same simple faith and trust in Christ that we see the power and wisdom of God’s Kingdom as the hope and relief to our hardships.
In the 1950s, there was a very famous racecar driver by the name of Bill Vukovich who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1953 and 1954. Few other drivers had matched his success, and everyone wanted to know his secret. One day, a reporter caught up with Vukovich and asked him what his secret was to winning the Indy 500 in back-to-back years. Vukovich, unfazed by the question, bluntly answered, “There is no secret. You just press the accelerator to the floor and steer left!”
Vukovich’s words serve as a reminder that being successful at something isn’t necessarily complicated; it’s doing the simple things well and making sure you stick to the fundamentals and basics. Back when I played sports, every practice and warm up to a game started with the same basic fundamentals…a simple game of catch on the baseball field…running lay-ups on the basketball court…or hitting the dummy sleds as a linemen on the football team…the best teams have the most success when they rely on the basics.
I know the acronym K.I.S.S. is commonly used as a reminder to keep things simple. I know what the original acronym stands for, but I am going to change it up a little bit. K.I.S.S. stands for Keep It Spiritually Simple. The Almighty God who has known us from eternity, and who spared not even His only Son for our salvation, is the God who calls us to childlike faith and trust that He knows the hairs on our head and knows our deepest needs and concerns. Trust and faith in Him makes life’s most difficult and complicated situations, very simple.
Keep It Spiritually Simple my friends, and remember as always, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
