Plain and Simple

A friend of mine recently asked the question, "What does it mean to live a "plain and simple" life?"

The answer to this question is as varied as people and circumstances are unique. Therefore, I can only answer for myself. Right away, I think of the words "uncomplicated" and "frugal" and "uncluttered". But, there is so much more than that! It is a life which is quiet and unhurried enough to truly walk with God , so that "Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left." (Isaiah 30:21)

A plain and simple life begins with a mindset, not a list of "do's & don'ts". It is not doing away with all modern devices; but rather using the things of this world as tools for serving God and our fellow man. On the other hand, I have noticed that although we have employed many "time and labor-saving" devices (also known as conveniences) , they have not actually contributed to a simpler life, as I defined it for myself, above. People, in general, are more hurried and harried than ever. Personally, I would enjoy a treadle sewing machine; but, I'm sure I would not be as efficient at my sewing projects as I can be with an electric. Therefore, it is simpler to use the electric sewing machine. I like to grind my own wheat; but, am hindered by arthritis. Therefore, the more practical choice is to have someone grind it for me, or use store- bought flour. I'm just using these as examples of when the "plain and simple" life isn't simple. It doesn't automatically translate into everyone having a garden, baking their own bread, milking goats and churning their own butter. While adopting a church prescribed uniform may bring simplicity to our wardrobe choices, that in itself does not constitute a "plain and simple life".

In fact, if all our thoughts and efforts center around being as "plain and simple" as we can be, we have missed the point. (Similar to a dieting person who can think of nothing else but food)

For me, the "plain and simple life" is one that allows me to best serve and love my Lord. The way that I order my life, my priorities, and my choices in order to accomplish that supreme goal, may be considerably different that the way any one else does. Each of us must take the gifts , and the time and place in which He has positioned us, and use what God has given to us to be the best, God-glorifying stewards that we can possibly be in that realm.

A plain and simple life has purpose and direction...simple goals, plain principles, simple solutions, plain prayers, and clear priorities.

Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, (Psalm 27:11)

FREE!

It has been said that the best things in life are free. This would not include that free soft drink with your fast food hamburger, since carbonated sugar water is not "best".

But, here's what IS "best" AND "free":

1. Light
2. Air
3. Water (although, technically, most of us pay for water, one way or another) (rain is free, though!)

This morning I was up long before the sun, and didn't know what a bright and beautiful day it would become. I was overjoyed to see the sunshine pouring through my window a few hours later, and feel its warmth. Truly, a blessing, undeserved, un-purchased and underestimated.

John 8:12 "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."" John 9:5 "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." John 12:46 ""I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness." John 1:4 "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men." Matthew 5:45 "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

At the happy appearance of the sun, I closed my eyes to pray and took a long, deep breath...instantly realizing, that it, too, was a free gift of God. It felt so good to be able to fill my lungs thoroughly and oxygenate my brain and my whole being - for free!

Genesis 2:7 "Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Job 33:4 "The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Acts 17:25 "He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things."

The first thing I put to my lips this morning was a glass of water. I used water for a long-awaited and refreshing shower. And, I have laundered our clothing in water. How readily we take water for granted, until it isn't available. We know we cannot live but a few days without it. Jesus uses the illustration of water to help us understand His gift to us.

John 4:13-14 “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 6:35 "Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

In conclusion, we all acknowledge that we must have light, air and water in order to continue living. We accept these free gifts without hesitation or compensation. Today, I am reminded to appropriate and more fully appreciate the free gift of God, provided by the Lord Jesus Christ, that leads to life eternal.

Romans 5:15-18 "But the free gift isn't like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not as through one who sinned: for the judgment came by one to condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses to justification. For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. "

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; "

IDENTITY

"...the fact of being who a person is..."

I am...an Earthling, a middle-aged female, Caucasian American, living in the 21st Century. Currently, a Texan.

Is that identifying enough? Is that who I am?


I am...an adopted daughter, wife of one man, mother to eight, grandmother to two, half-sister, aunt, and a friend to many.

Is that enough to identify me?

Upon what do we base our identity? Is it by what others think of us or expect of us? Or, by comparing ourselves among ourselves? (not wise, the Bible says) Do we base who we think we are on what we do or don't do? For instance, "I'm a church-goer." "I'm not a thief." Perhaps, our identity is based upon our gifts or talents, strengths or weaknesses of character and personality, or physical attributes and abilities or disabilities. Often we are known for our work or our avocations. Our ethnic, religious or cultural connections, as well as our financial status are also identifying factors.

But, do they define who we really are?

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12)


"I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14)

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8)

"HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME." (Revelation 4:8)

The great I AM is the only One truly qualified to identify me.
I have come to believe that the only accurate reflection of our true identity is to be found in God Himself, His Word, His Holy Spirit.
I want to see myself as the great I AM sees me.
All the other means by which we size ourselves up are nothing more than shifting sand. We cannot make one hair white or black, or add a single cubit to our stature. Our perceptions of our identity can change, do change.
So, what is God's perspective of us?

"And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise." (Galatians 3:29)

If we can say:
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20)
Then,we are:
His sheep,(John 10:27), children of light (John 12:36), His disciples (John 13:35), aliens, strangers, pilgrims (1 Peter 2:11), (Hebrews 11:13), a holy people, a peculiar people, (Deuteronomy 7:6), a peculiar treasure (Malachi 3:17), children of God, heirs, co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), children of promise (Galatians 4:28), redeemed (1 Corinthians 6:20, 1 Corinthians 7:23), and a living and holy sacrifice (Romans 12:1)

Consider these words from Romans 12:

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."
In other words,
"As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." (1 Peter 4:10)

Perhaps, it seems I've deviated from the original premise of my treatise. Allow me to summarize my thinking with these verses:

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

..." and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Ephesians 4:24)
"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."(Galatians 3:27)

There's our identity!

IN CHRIST!

Serving and glorifying Christ Jesus, Our Lord, with the unique gifts that He has created in us,
is the only identity that will survive an eternity.

I am a daughter of the King! (Psalm 45:13)

Be Still and Know That I Am God

I can almost still feel it . The quiet. The stillness. The solitude. It was refreshing, healing, and rejuvenating; and incredibly overdue.

Mark 6:31 says "And He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.' (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)"

My daughter invited me to use her living-room as a "secluded place" one day last week. I made sure that things were in order at my house and chores set in motion before gathering up my Bible, notebook, pencils, devotional book, and rag rug bag. Oh, yes, I had a tray of healthy drinks and snacks, too. (I left my phone behind, on purpose.) Before settling comfortably into my old rocking chair and nursing stool, I opened the front door to take advantage of the cool-ish morning breeze. At first it felt strange, not to be beckoned by the dishes, laundry, vacuuming and life that comes with mothering four boys. Then, I remembered and rejoiced that I wasn't just alone, I was alone with God!

Because it was so incredibly quiet, I could not only hear my own breathing and heartbeat, I could hear His!

I heard Him in the soft breeze, humming bugs, and joyful birds. I saw Him in the drifting clouds, waving grass, verdant trees and especially in the courageous bright orange Cosmos blooming near the steps. I felt Him in the air that touched my skin and entered my lungs. As I strained to listen to the void, my own thoughts and my own heartbeat became evident.

And, then He spoke. Nothing in audible words, mind you. He spoke to my heart. It was His Holy Spirit soothing the heartaches, calming the fears, smoothing the frettings, organizing my thoughts of duty, enlarging the love-chambers of my heart, and bringing understanding to my soul.

The time spent in prayer, Bible-reading, note-taking, thinking, eating, drinking and rag-rugging was not measured in minutes. I have no idea how long I was there. Eventually, I knew it was time to return to the fray; but indulging myself in His presence gave me strength.
His grace is sufficient.

Perhaps we take the Psalmists' verse out of context. Nevertheless, I plan to repeat the experience of "being still and knowing that He is God" more often.

Near to the Heart of God

My title is one of my favorite hymns and also an ongoing prayer...that I would stay near to Gods' heart. For, as this hymn states, it is " a place of quiet rest, a place where sin cannot molest...a place of comfort sweet, a place where we our Savior meet...a place of full release, a place where all is joy and peace."

I believe that God wants His creation to seek after Him, to desire close communion with Him. In Acts 17:26-28, we read that
"He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'"
"Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near." Isaiah 55:6
"For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him?" Deuteronomy 4:7

However, I see from the thousand or so scriptures that I read this morning, that there is a condition, a requirement , a key to God's heart; and that is His Son, Jesus.

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
"But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:13
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he that draws near to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them who seek Him out." Hebrews 11:6 (Darby Bible Translation)
"Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25

There seem to be other conditions as well. The condition of our heart must be broken, sincere, fully surrendered and washed in Jesus' blood.

"Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22
"Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD." Jeremiah 29:12,13
"Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed. Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD, and whose deeds are done in a dark place, and they say,"Who sees us?' or 'Who knows us?'" Isaiah 29:13-15
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:8
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18
"Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him..." Psalm 85:9
"The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth." Psalm 145:18

With these conditions met, we can
"draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

We can pray
"Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, do not be far from me!" Psalm 38:21 "But You, O LORD, be not far off; O You my help, hasten to my assistance." Psalm 22:19 "My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." Psalm 63:8

And He answers,
"I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; And My salvation will not delay." Isaiah 46:13

And we praise:
"But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works." Psalm 73:28 "How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple." Psalm 65:4

"O JESUS, BLEST REDEEMER,
SENT FROM THE HEART OF GOD,
HOLD US, WHO WAIT BEFORE THEE,
NEAR TO THE HEART OF GOD."

The Pledge of Allegiance

• 
  

  Our family witnessed a wedding today - the genesis of a new home, a new family. Marriages have taken place, in various forms, since the beginning of time. What made today's ceremony special? The "two became one flesh" in the fear of God. They pledged their love and fidelity to one another in Him. There is no firmer foundation for a home!
  
  It occurred to me that their vows could have been expressed like this:
  
  "I pledge allegiance to this marriage of God's own choosing,
  And, to Christ and the Church for which it stands,
  Becoming one flesh,
  Under the hand of God,
  Indivisible until death,
  With selflessness and love."
  
  It is no less a miracle than the creation of a new human being.
  

Reclamation

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  In the 1970's I was very interested in the conservationist movement. Reclaiming polluted waterways, forests, endangered species, and such, seemed so meaningful. I still think it is important to be careful with our natural resources; but, from the standpoint of being good stewards of what God has entrusted to us. There's always been a great sense of satisfaction for me in finding a 2nd or 3rd use for something that would otherwise be discarded. For instance, I cut up T-shirts for baby wipes and take the buttons off of worn out shirts, and feed my kitchen scraps to the chickens. My reclaiming specialty these days is turning old sheets and worn out garments into crocheted rag rugs. I work on them mostly when I'm waiting...at the doctor's or at my son's bedside during a seizure episode...reclaiming the time. Another, better word might be "redeem". "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16. I've been doing more of that this month, as Ethan has had a substantial amount of seizure activity.
  God is the Master of reclamation: reclaiming His own creation, redeeming lost souls with the blood of His own Son, Jesus. I give Him thanks and praise today for His interest in reclamation.