Simple Gospel — Morning Devotions

By Chris WittsTuesday 23 Mar 2021Morning Devotions with Chris WittsDevotionsReading Time: 3 minutes

On my desk calendar in my office I usually read the thought for the day. They are usually thought-provoking and interesting—some days more than others. But I recently read this old Chinese proverb which said, “A truly great man never puts away the simplicity of a child”.

I think I know what was meant here: when you look at a child, one of their most beautiful traits is the child’s simplicity. When a baby is born, most adults are in awe and feel a sense of love towards that child. After all, we were all once a newborn or a child. How do you think of your childhood? Hopefully, it was a happy and satisfying time of no worries or responsibilities, endless summers, lots of play and fun, and a belief that life was good and that tomorrow held endless possibilities.

Maybe that’s why we read this segment in Matthew 19:14-15 (GNT):

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

He placed his hands on them and then went away.

Jesus loved children and said that those who inherit the Kingdom of heaven must be like children. What did he mean? I think he was talking about having faith like a child. Children do have a trusting nature.

Maybe you’ve seen the movie The Polar Express and you might remember the little boy who is starting to doubt his faith in Santa Claus. One Christmas Eve, a train called ‘The Polar Express’ came and took him to the North Pole for a never-to-be-forgotten experience. At the North Pole he can’t hear the bells on Santa’s sleigh while the other children can. Finally he says, I believe. I believe! Then he hears the bells and comes face-to-face with Santa. This is a great story of childlike faith, even though the boy was intrigued: How can a fat man fit through my narrow chimney?

Living Simple Lives

Having faith is really a simple matter—it’s not complicated at all. It’s we who are older who have taken away the simplicity. No matter who we are or how old we are, many of us have complicated our lives because we do not have a simple faith. If you look at the founders of comparative religion, you’ll see they lived simply.

Too many of us think we have to accumulate wealth and prestige to be successful. Have we allowed our personalities to be shaped by the world around us to such an extent that simplicity has been lost? Can we be a successful and integrated person and live simply? I think we can.

Simplicity makes us authentic people, because it’s strongly linked with sincerity and openness. It means a willingness to be open and honest even when we make a mistake. It pays in the end to just be yourself without any pretence. It accepts your own limitations and says, I am grateful for what God has given me, and the life I enjoy today. I will make the most of every minute of every day, and count my blessings.

The great problem with today is that we live hectic, frantic lifestyles. We’re always in a hurry and the result is we are prevented from developing the beautiful quality of simplicity .

A Prayer of Simplicity

Maybe you’ve heard this prayer of simplicity:

Slow me down, Lord,
ease the pounding of my heart
by the quieting of my mind.

Steady my hurried pace
with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amidst the confusion of the day,
the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles
with the soothing music of the singing streams
that live in my memory.

Help me to know the magical and restoring power of sleep.

Teach me the art of taking small vacations,
of slowing down to look at a flower,
to chat with a friend,
to pat a dog,
to read a few lines form a good book.

Slow me down Lord
and inspire me to send my roots
into the soil of life’s enduring values
that I may grow towards the start of my greater destiny.

So there it is—the idea of a simple gospel. I think it’s important, isn’t it?