Lately I’ve felt the Lord trying to simplify my Christian life. Bringing things back the original, most necessary, main and plain things that must be the horse before I can ever get to the cart. We, especially in the West, have made the Christian life so complicated, that I’m searching the Scriptures to find simplicity. That word is taken from 2 Cor. 11:3, where Paul talks about the simplicity of the gospel, which is devotion to Christ. Devotion to Christ seems to be the vehicle of the entirety of the rest of the Christian life. This blog series, entitled “A Terrible Thievery”, is mostly my journey in understanding all that distracts and steals from me the simplicity of devotion to Christ. If you haven’t already, please read the first post below before this one.

Now, some brief thoughts this morning on what else is missing when Christ isn’t the head, or isn’t given first place or preeminence in our focus as the people of God. Since I have no ability to obtain righteousness by the law, then I also have no ability to obtain sanctification merely by the outward practices of God’s Word (Galatians 5). However, Christ in me is more than sufficient to will and to work according to His good pleasure (Phil 2:13) the inward and outward deeds that are pleasing to Him. He in me, is my only hope of Christ-likeness, or “being spiritual”, or “having God’s heart”, or “not being an American Christian”, or “being Godly”.

Jesus said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matt 5) We hunger and thirst for righteousness by hungering and thirsting for Christ, who is righteousness. However, He isn’t just a stagnant righteousness, but an active righteousness that empowers, frees, and strengthens according to its’ own kind. Therefore the more I know Christ, the more I am inspired to understand His power to work through me the “Godly life” He desires, and therefore walk in it! The “Godly life” that we all desire and preach, is only obtained through personally knowing Christ. Even Jesus’ said that He spoke and did nothing apart from what He saw the Father speaking and doing (John 5, 8). Even Christ’s outward perfection was empowered by His living, abiding relationship with the Father, and His understanding of who He is!

How crucial is it therefore that we understand who He is! Peter says it this way  -

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Pet. 1:3

What an incredible statement! Knowing Christ is accessing the very power we need for life and godliness. Beloved of God, let’s get to know Him, for that is our eternal life! (John 17:3; John 6:36; John 7:37-39)