CWW Week 27 - Day 6 - Keeping Church Simple

Scripture.

2 Corinthians 3:18

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (NKJV)

This verse speaks about the transformative power of beholding God’s glory, suggesting that as we focus on Him, we are gradually changed to reflect His character and image. It’s a beautiful reminder that our focus on the divine shapes who we are.

It has been said that “if you hang around with dogs you get fleas.”

It is also said that “it’s easy to soar like an eagle when your surrounded by turkeys.”

It may also be seen that the opposite is true. By beholding we become changed. The human brain is the most powerful of all computers but like any computer, if you feed it with garbage then it’s garbage that will come out.

We are created in the image of God and our walk is a constant refinement of our character.

When I was an airline Captain I managed my career by keeping it simple. Day to day duties with a highly trained crew at my disposal was a blessing because I put my faith in our training and professionalism and kept the day as simple as I could.

The ways of God can be incredibly complex and so much so that many will put it all in the too hard basket. We can decide to do that if we choose but what are we missing out on if we do?

Having stopped attending school at age thirteen I found my dream to fly was going to be hard because I had to study and understand complex theories of flight, navigation, aircraft performance, meteorology and aviation law. It was extremely daunting when I opened the books for the first time.

I found it so overwhelming to begin with that I almost gave up.

There were two main reasons that I was about to bail out on my chosen career. The first was that I felt like an idiot because I didn’t have an education. Secondly feeling so low about my academia I felt that I didn’t deserve to be in the job and that no one would take a chance on me anyway so whats the use?

It’s so easy to fall for the same trap in our walk of faith.

I got through the studies and got top marks in my exams because I looked for simple ways to understand complex situations. I made sure I had a solid understanding of the basics and then applied common sense to the problem solving by asking myself, “What are we looking for?”It’s the same with God and the walk of faith. As we read the Bible and know in our hearts that it truly is the word of God then we need to look for the reason in the text. What is God trying to tell me that I need to know?

I needed to put the context of the word of God into a basic message that can be summed up quickly as the basis of my understanding and then pray for the Holy Spirit to take me through the text when He knows I am ready to upgrade my knowledge.

So what are the basics.

1. The essence of God is love first and foremost.
2. Jesus came to earth as God in the flesh to show us the character of God.
3. Jesus laid himself bare on the cross to show us the ultimate expression of that love so that we could and might have a relationship with the Father in Heaven.
4. Jesus rose from the grave to return to the right hand of His Father to prepare the way for us all.
5. That God’s laws are the perfect design principles to live by and a clear indicator of where we must not go if we desire to achieve our full God given potential. They are a road map for our character development.
6. That God knows that we are not perfect and that we are a work in progress and that the Holy Spirit is our guide through the journey of character development.
7. That we are saved by faith through Jesus Christ and that is guaranteed as long as we continue to choose Jesus in all our affairs.

These items form the basis of my simple understanding and as I read the Bible with the above as my framework then everything else starts to make perfect sense.

I have redefined the K I S S principle.

I now see the KISS principle as Keep It Simple Sinner.

By doing this we can easily stay on course and as we continue to behold God through Jesus in our daily life we can and will become changed and grow into what we behold.

I think that a definition of the Bible I once read sums it up.

The word B I B L E stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. 

May God bless us all on this journey.

Questions.

1. Do you get discouraged by the feeling that you will never know enough to pass the exam?
2. Do you feel that you need to cram at the last minute and that you will fail?
3. Do you trust in the Lord that He will never leave you or forsake you?

Prayer.

Dear Lord, Papa God.

Help me to see you simply as in the mirror and not to fall for the traps set by evil to keep me from You Papa. Show me the simple truths of your love for me and the saving and amazing grace that your poor out among those who love You. May your Holy Spirit guide and lead me so that the complicated questions will be answered by You when You take us home for eternity. For this is my prayer in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a great day with Jesus today.

Graham Hood.