The Secret

The secret to living a Jesus centered life is having Jesus at the center of your life. Okay so there isn’t a secret. Again, “the matter is quite simple, the Bible is very easy to understand…” – Soren Kierkegaard

Labels

“Once you label me you negate me.” — Søren Kierkegaard

“It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.” — W.C. Fields

Too often we place a label on something or someone, stick them in the box we’ve made and need never consider them again. Kierkegaard reminds us not to do this to people while Fields answers what to do when it’s done to us.

Simple

Really, God is simple? Theologians will tell you that God’s attribute of simplicity means that He is not made up of the sum of His parts. We’ve been saying this; He’s not sometimes this and sometimes that like we can be. He just is and He is all the time. But I think God’s simplicity is more than that. Scripture tells us that He is not the God of confusion however we imagine Him as complicated far too often. Unfortunately we think this way because it makes it easier to ignore what His desire is for us. I love this quote from Soren Kierkegaard:

“The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly.”

By attaching complexity to God we create religion. It becomes easy for us to leave the work of the Kingdom to the professionals, to put the Pastors and Priests between He and us. We become content with showing up each week and having just a little bit more of the mystery unraveled for us so that someday we will be able to be and do what God wants. Most often someday never comes. Today is the day, right now is the only time we can be with God. He is the God of the present and His greatest desire is for us to join Him in it, not to put it off.

For clarity’s sake I need to point out that there’s always more of God for us to know. His depth is infinite. But this is the kind of knowing that is personal not to be confused with understanding, which is intellectual. Sorry I got a bit wordy today. I so want each of us to get this or more accurately, get Him. His love for you brings me to tears.