Simplicity: Jesus, My One Thing

 

Simplicity – For many years I lived with a misconception of that one little word.   

 

The image I conjured, even when it was discussed as a spiritual discipline, was one that involved streamlining. I pictured reducing inventories, getting rid of “stuff,” cutting things out, donating things.  

 

When it comes to the spiritual disciplines, however, my streamlining definition is simply not sufficient. 

[ctt template=”2″ link=”cMpqZ” via=”yes” ]Simplicity is the spiritual practice of total surrender and abandonment to God. It is having a singularity of heart or of purpose.[/ctt]

Notice: “a singularity of heart and purpose.”  

In other words: 

Jesus – the Main thing, my One thing.   

 

And by the way, yes, this can mean having to streamline our lives, if necessary, in order to make Jesus the One thing in our life.  

In his Bible study, Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby says, “We are a doing people.  We feel worthless or useless if we are not busy doing something.  Scripture leads us to understand that God is saying, ‘I want you to love Me above everything else.  When you are in a relationship of love with Me, you have everything there is.’  To be loved by God is the highest relationship, the greatest achievement, and the noblest position in life.” 

Our identity, worth, meaning, and joy are in Christ alone.  It is not in our performance, our possessions, our position, or in what people think of us.  This is why the Apostle Paul urges us some 110 times in his New Testament letters to place ourselves “in Christ.”  

 

Christ is to be our singular focus. 

Time with Him enriches and deepens the relationship we already have with Him. Let God know this is a journey you are willing to take and then pursue it whole-heartedly. 

As you pursue this life of simplicity, the most important thing to remember is to make sure that you are living to please God alone.  Live for an Audience of One. 

 

A Life of Simplicity

How does one go about living a life where Jesus is the Main thing, their One thing? Here are just a few ideas: 

•  CHOOSE ONE WORD FOR A YEAR 

• FAST 

• JOURNAL 

• OBSERVE THE CHRISTIAN CALENDAR 

• IMPLEMENT AND OBSERVE RICH TRADITIONS 

• PRACTICE THE PRESENCE OF GOD 

• PREACH TO YOURSELF 

• OBSERVE A SABBATH 

• MEDITATE ON THINGS OF GOD 

• RECORD YOUR SPIRITUAL MARKERS 

• PRACTICE SUBMISSION 

• PRACTICE SURRENDER 

• OFFER THANKSGIVING 

• WORSHIP 

 

It’s Your Turn 

How do you go about turning your heart toward God? What ways might you add to our list of suggestions for helping us make Jesus our One thing, our Main thing? 

 

“This year, let us ask God to dissolve all our hopes (however good they may be!) into a single hope: to know Christ and to be found in Him.  May this be a year of desire radically transformed, a deeper, truer, knowing of Christ as our All-Sufficient One.”

— Nicole Whitacre

 

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Soul Nourishment: Satisfying Our Deep Longing for God is a gentle reminder of the importance of soul care. It is also a handbook for today’s busy woman filled with a multitude of easy, ready-to-use resources to bring refreshment on the journey. This 2-color book offers a multitude of ways to intentionally nourish and care for our soul including: prayer practices, using scripture, building relationships, listening, & solitude.

Available at Warner Press.