Joyce Meyer - Celebration of Simplicity: Loving God and Enjoying Life

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A Celebration of Simplicity

ISBN: 978-0-446-55471-8

Copyright 2001 by Joyce Meyer

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The Simplicity of Faith

To enjoy life to the full, keep it simple.

GODS WORD FOR YOU

Now while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha received and welcomed Him into her house.

And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lords feet and was listening to His teaching.

But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]!

But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; there is need of only one or but a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her.

Luke 10:38-42

THE SIMPLICITY OF FAITH

I believe that life should be a celebration. Far too many believers dont even enjoy life, let alone celebrate it. Many people truly love Jesus Christ and are on their way to heaven, but very few are enjoying the trip. For many years I was one of those people and so was Martha.

Martha was busy doing what I used to do, running around trying to make everything perfect in order to impress God and everyone else. I complicated my relationship with the Lord because I had a legalistic approach to righteousness. I pursued many thingsanswers to my situations, prosperity, healing, success in my ministry, changes in my family. I only felt good about myself when I was accomplishing something. And I resented people like Mary, who enjoyed themselves. I thought they should be doing what I was doing.

My problem was that I was all Martha and no Mary. I loved Jesus, but I had not learned about the simple life He desired me to live. The answer, I discovered, was rooted in faith, discovering what it means to sit at the feet of Jesus, listen to His words, and trust God with all of my heart and soul.

If you want to live a complicated, complex, joyless life, spend your time trying to do something that cant be done without God.

GODS WORD FOR YOU

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2 CORINTHIANS 11:3 NKJV

In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].

GALATIANS 5:1

Jesus came to this world and paid for our sins, taking our punishment upon Himself. He became our substitute, paid the debt we owed, at no cost to us. He did all this freely because of His great love, grace, and mercy. He inherited all the Father has to give and tells us that we are joint-heirs with Him by virtue of our faith. He has provided the way for our complete victory both here and hereafter. We are more than conquerors. He has conquered, and we get the reward without the battle.

How much simpler could it be? The gospel is wonderfully uncomplicated.

Complication is the work of Satan. He hates simplicity because he knows the power and the joy that our faith brings. Whenever your relationship with God becomes complex, bewildering, and confusing, consider the sourcedoubt and unbelief are being mixed and twisted together with belief.

Return to and celebrate the simplicity of your faith in Jesus alone!

Believing is so much simpler than not believing.

GODS WORD FOR YOU

And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them and said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all].

Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

MATTHEW 18:2-4

So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free.

JOHN 8:36

Children believe what they are told. Some people say children are gullible; meaning they believe anything no matter how ridiculous it sounds. But children are not gullible; they are trusting. It is a childs nature to trust unless he has experienced something that teaches him otherwise. And another thing we all know about children is that they can literally enjoy just about anything, even turning work into games.

Our heavenly Father desires us to come to Him as children. He wants us to know that we are His precious little ones and to put our complete faith in Him to care for us. He wants us to take His hand and lean on Him, continually asking for His help. Everything that God calls us to do, He must help us do. He is ready, waiting, and more than willing. But we must come humbly as little childrensincere, unpretentious, honest, openknowing that without Him, we can do nothing.