“For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.”
2 Corinthians 1:12 ESV

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
Supposedly spoken by Mark Twain, this simple statement rings very true. If we live simply, if our conscience truly is clear, if we behave with godly sincerity and in His grace, our lives will become far less complicated and much easier to navigate. I don’t say completely simple or easy to navigate, because life is still complicated and difficult from time to time. But, when we live simply, when our hearts and eyes are less cluttered, and focused on God rather than worldly distractions, we find that living in that simplicity brings many benefits and it is a testimony all by itself.

To attempt to live in two worlds at once, chasing after Christ while still in pursuit of the world, we will always find ourselves torn and waivering. But as we live solely for Christ, our hearts and minds minutely focused on Him, our vision will become much more clear and our purpose much more striking.

We live in utter contrast to the world. Our lives in Christ were never meant to be so complicated that we couldn’t tell which end is up, or which direction to go anymore. Yes, there are still decisions to be made and options to be investigated, but our lives in Christ can be very simple if we will allow them to be.

Simple in that our allegiance is not divided.
Simple in that our hearts have been claimed by One.
Simple in that our souls have a new, singular Master.
Simple in that our battles are being fought by One greater than our own strength.
Simple in that our minds are being renewed and the clutter of sin is being removed.
Simple in that our end is already mapped out.
Simple in that we are new capable of real sincerity.
Simple in that we are operating under His wisdom, and not a chorus of warring influences.

Simplicity comes more and more as we meditate on Him and His Word, as we speak and listen in times of prayer. Simplicity comes as our reliance rests on Him, not self, and simplicity comes when we die to self and let Christ reign over us.

Again, we will still have our struggle with sin, the flesh and this world.
But simplicity comes from listening to the clarion call of our Lord & Master over all the clamor and chaos. In the midst of the storm of life, our spiritual ears hear the voice of our shepherd, calling us to safety in His fold. His trumpet call piercing through the thrumming, thrashing cacophony, calling us to find our rest in Him.

This is simplicity, not that we are somehow removed from the world and are not affected by it any more, but that we can, in Christ, silence our hearts, listen in anticipation for our Shepherd’s voice and follow His call. Shutting out the noise, we seek His face in submission and humility. He has evidenced His great love for us in this, while we still struggle with sin, He died for us, paving the way for grace. In this grace, we find our hope, it cannot be found otherwise. In His resurrection, we find the joy that propels us forward in the promise of new life. And so motivated, we GoLove as we have been loved. Witnesses to a world stumbling around in the dark, surrounded by pitfalls and deceptions, we can act as guides to the simple light of truth in Christ.

GoLove as you have been loved. Do it simply and consistently.