God’s Simplicity

Matthew 15:9  Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”

The “religious” folk of Jesus’ days had some bizarre ideas. They had taken the commands of God to an illogical extreme, and made their interpretations law. For example, the Old Testament says to wash your hands before you eat if you have touched a dead thing. I have been at enough crime scenes and autopsies to think this is a good rule. The religious rulers took this simple rule way further than the simplicity of what God’s word said, and added rules that made it impossibly complex, and just as impossible to live by. “Wash your hands” became using a new bowl, new water, a new towel and washing all the way up your arms. Ridiculous!

When I was younger I got heat because I sang in a Christian rock band. I got scolded because I wore Hawaiian shirts to church. I got grief because of the length of my hair. None of those are God’s laws, they are rules that someone put in place for me to be “holy.” I found out I can be just as holy with long hair while wearing a Hawaiian shirt as I could with a crew cut and a white shirt. It turns out God looks at our hearts, not our clothing.

God’s grace is simple. Jesus came and died for us, and took the penalty for our sin. In turn, God wants us to live for him, and follow the Holy Spirit as he guides us along, and makes our lives better. That’s it! You and the Holy Spirit will work out the details in your life, and how best for you to serve God. The good thing is that it is all written out for you in the New Testament.

Today’s Readings:  2 Samuel 3; 1 Chronicles 12; Matthew 15