Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. (2 Peter 1:2-3)

Everything We Need Has Been Given

John C. Maxwell relates the story: “We are like the family that had become fed up with the noise and traffic of the city and decided to move to the country and try life in the wide-open spaces. Intending to raise cattle, they bought a western ranch. Some friends came to visit a month later and asked them what they had named the ranch. The father said, “Well, I wanted to call it the Flying-W, and my wife wanted to call it the Suzy-Q. But one of our sons liked the Bar-J, and the other preferred the Lazy-Y. So we compromised and called it the Flying-W, Suzy-Q, Bar-J, Lazy-y Rand.” Their friends asked, “Well, where are your cattle?” The man replied, “We don’t have any. None of them survived the branding.” (Developing the Leader Within You, p.33)

Life can be complicated, but most often, the complications are man-made. There is a simple part of life that is seldom complex. God has provided everything a man needs to survive physically and spiritually. There is a tendency to complicate life by creating a ‘rat-race’ pace of daily living that leaves the soul tired, weary, and exhausted. God never intended for man to be consumed by his stuff. Godliness with contentment is great gain and illustrates life’s simplicity. Learning to be content makes life a simpler way to live. So many live such hectic lives that it becomes a daily grind of keeping up with other people without knowing the joy of peaceful contentment.

The spiritual blessings are also simple. God has always revealed His Word to the world. Adam and Eve were given simple instructions not to eat of the forbidden tree. Satan deceived the woman into thinking the command was unfair, and when she and Adam took of the fruit, life became a lot more complicated. Sin complicates life because it is against the design of God. The Law of Moses was not difficult to follow as each command was clearly set forth. Jesus came to bring the abundant life through the revelation of the Word. God would not have brought the world a difficult and complex set of commands to follow. The apostle John wrote that keeping the commandments of God shows love for God and that His commandments are not burdensome.

People think the Bible is hard to understand. Are there challenging places in the book? Absolutely. A lifetime would never fill the time to know all there is about the Word of God. Many things are hard to understand in the natural world, but that does not mean a man should not enjoy the many splendors of nature that he can touch, see, smell, and experience. When one begins to take the Bible for what it is, one will realize how simple the message of God can be. There will be no more revelations. All things that pertain to life and godliness are revealed in the pages of the Bible. The more you read the clearer the message. Take time to read.