Always Simple

I have been spending a lot of time in prayer for our nation and one thing has stirred deeply in my heart. We spend endless effort complicating things. We are constantly spending time on what we think, what our opinions are on every topic and the demand to our “rights” to hold those opinions. The problem is we end up chasing the wind. We pursue so many ideals that meet our own thoughts and what fits into our comfort zones. We try to make ourselves justified by making truth fit us. Then we vigorously oppose anything else. We present every complicated detail that we think supports our perspective and anyone who disagrees we have begun to treat as our enemy.

It breaks my heart because we are called to love one another. Other humans are not the enemy regardless of our opinions. I was recently asked why I believed in Jesus versus any other religion. My answer was simple, because I know that no matter how hard I try I can’t be good enough. I can’t be good enough to appease Allah, I can’t be reincarnated enough times to reach nirvana.. I can’t follow enough rules, do enough good things to earn acceptance.

After weighing all other religions I realized that Christianity is the only religion where God reaches out to man. He made the way and paid the price for me to be in relationship with Him. I feel His love because He paid the price for it. No other religion does that. Yes God is a holy God and He calls us to be like Him but He also equips us to live life with Him in relationship. He doesn’t require us to be holy first and then be loved. We are accepted because He loved first. He desires for us to walk in love and blessings which naturally flow out of our relationship with Him.

Even the Bible is written in love. It may seem complicated but if you look at that it serves a simple purpose of revealing His love and plan to reach man. There is the history of God and man.  Then there is the foretelling of a Savior coming. There is the fulfillment of His coming and His sacrifice for us. Then there is the relationship journey with God. We often complicate this message by chasing theology and cutting it apart to use the pieces to discredit it but the simple truth remains. God loves mankind and never stops trying to reach out to us.

We can focus on different denominations, church practices etc and use that as examples of flaws but the fact is those are flaws of mankind’s own understanding.

I am not a theologian nor do I walk blindly but I do want to understand the root of things. The root of it all is God’s desire to walk with man in a love that fulfills us in a way nothing else can.

God’s ways may not be easy but they are always simple.