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Freedom of Simplicity, by Richard Foster

Is your life a ceaseless round of conflicting demands and more tasks than one person can accomplish? Does your family, church, or community impose burdens on you that you feel you can no longer bear? Do you long for the peace and joy of knowing that you are doing the will of God? If the answer to any of these questions is Yes, then this book is for you! Excellent reading, full of practical Bible-based counsel.

Freedom of Simplicity, paperback

If he [Jesus] were to come today as he did then [working as a carpenter in Nazareth], he could carry out his mission through most any decent and useful occupation. He could be a clerk or accountant in a hardware store, a computer technician, or construction worker. He could run a housecleaning service or repair automobiles.

In other words, if he were to come today he could very well do what you do.

In other words, Jesus’ earthly occupation as a carpenter was His way of connecting with us at the intersection of our ordinary lives. He could have lived any life—He could have chosen something far more exalted in our human estimation. But He chose an ordinary family, and adopted an ordinary job in a small town in a country with little political status. This was not meant to confer some special status on Middle Eastern carpenters. It was meant to show that God accepts and blesses the most ordinary of human lives.

This leads to a profound conclusion. Willard finishes:

Our human life, it turns out, is not destroyed by God’s life but is fulfilled in it and in it alone.

In other words, what would happen if God Incarnate was born in a carpenter’s home? Would He turn His back on so lowly and earthly a life? No—He’d become a carpenter. And the same is true of any career. Assuming a job is not inherently immoral, it is exactly the kind of job God in human form would do. “Let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” 1 Corinthians 7:24.

There can be no doubt that some people are called to a special role in ministry. But, apart from such a calling, our job in following Jesus is to do what we already do, and to do it to the best of our ability, to the glory of God.

The essential lesson of contented industry in the necessary duties of life is yet to be learned by many of Christ’s followers. It requires more grace, more stern discipline of character, to work for God in the capacity of mechanic, merchant, lawyer, or farmer, carrying the precepts of Christianity into the ordinary business of life, than to labor as an acknowledged missionary in the open field. It requires a strong spiritual nerve to bring religion into the workshop and the business office, sanctifying the details of everyday life, and ordering every transaction according to the standard of God’s Word. But this is what the Lord requires.

Ellen White, God’s Amazing Grace, 301

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”

And he replied, “Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!”

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God
Trod gladly into the night.
He led me towards the hills
And the breaking of day in the lone east.

So heart be still!
What need our human life to know
If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife of things
Both high and low,
God hideth his intention.

* * *

I first read this poem in a book, Against the Night, which quoted only the first four lines. Still, it quickly became a favorite of mine. I had no idea that there was more to the poem. But just those few lines were so deep and profound, they seemed complete standing alone. Later I was able to find the entire poem, as well as a little history behind it.

To me, this poem is a great reminder that the best of human vision is less than the least guidance we receive from God. At the very moment when we think we know what we are doing, and don’t need God’s guidance, we are most blind. And conversely, when we are in the greatest darkness about our present or future circumstances, but walking in hand with God, we are the most secure.

High in the atmosphere, in a turbulent mixing of moist air with frigid winds, little crystals begin to grow around small particles of dust. As they grow outward like spokes, they form symmetrical shapes that we call snowflakes. These snowflakes gently tumble to the ground, covering it with a white blanket that insulates and protects plants and even certain animals from the icy winds of winter.

In another large cloud, amid gusty winds and flashes of lightning, a different formation occurs. As droplets of water freeze together, a small mass of ice appears. Eventually it becomes so heavy that the winds can no longer hold it up, and it plunges to the ground below as something we call hail. The size varies, but even small pieces have caused great destruction of crops. Larger pieces have demolished cars and homes, and even caused the death of people and animals.

The same element—frozen water—but how different the forms, and how different the results. One is beautiful in form, falls gently, and protects wintering plants and animals. The other is coarse and formless, falls hard, and wreaks destruction everywhere.

How like two kinds of Christians in this world. One is formed gracefully, and is gentle, kind, compassionate. The other has the same elements, but gathered through mere rubbing shoulders with Christians and the circumstances of life; and such a person often is a destructive force in the world, violent and uncaring, bringing the character of Christians into disgrace.

Which kind of Christian am I—snow or hail?

When I was in college I liked to go for early morning walks. One day I was walking by some sheet-metal buildings on campus, when I happened to look up and notice an ornament at the apex of each roof. The construction company—Morton—had installed a weather vane, embellished with their company name, on each of their buildings. However, when I compared the three weather vanes on three nearby buildings that breezy winter morning, I noticed that they were each pointing in a different direction.

Evidently Morton needed to invest more in research and development. The weather vanes that they apparently took such pride in, didn’t work. Worse, because their ornaments looked like functional weather vanes, they conveyed false information. North, south, east, west—the turn of the arrow—it was all bogus.

This reminds me of what sometimes happens in our churches, ministries, schools, and institutions (not to mention secular entities). We may look to these organizations to learn which way the winds of the world are blowing, but what we see and hear may not reflect any reality. The beat of the pulse, the blips on the radar, the charts on the wall may be just artificial constructions not connected to any real data. A dollop of hearsay, a spritz of intuition, a few sprinkles of conventional wisdom, and we’re served up news. Like those weather vanes, their message may be right once in a while, as chance often is. But really they’re just pointing out their own agenda, and insisting on it no matter what.

So what’s to be done? In our own organizations we need accountability. We need more questions like, “Yes, that sounds lovely—but show me the facts.” And for other organizations that we look to or trust, we need to take a fresh look from time to time and do some critical thinking. We can caution, “It sounds plausible. But let’s do a little homework and see if this stands up to scrutiny.” (Reading rumor sites is not homework.)

Our business is truth, and that’s a tall order. It doesn’t take much non-truth to turn truth into rubbish. Now we see through a glass darkly. We live in a world flooded with pseudo-information—generalizations, deceit, quackery, complexities and jargon that lead to misunderstanding. And that means we need extra precaution to keep our message on track.

Once upon a time Oscar Wilde was at a gathering. He spied a beautiful woman on the other side of the room, and approached her. After some small talk, he asked, “Would you be willing to sleep with me for a million dollars?”

After some deliberation, she replied, “I suppose.”

Then he inquired, “Would you be willing to sleep with me for ten dollars?”

With indignation, she replied, “Of course not! What kind of woman do you think I am?”

Not missing a beat, Wilde replied, “Madam, that has already been established; now we are merely determining the price.”

The world is in the business of establishing our price. If we can be bought or sold, it is only a matter of time before the price will be paid, or before the market will drive down our price to a more modest amount.

What are your negotiables? What are your nonnegotiables? Everything is up for bid that we do not choose to remove from the market.

The very existence and popularity of a site like “Hot or Not” says much about the superficiality of our culture. Many women and men have all the trimmings of a “hot” exterior, yet have such offensive personalities or behaviors that their relationships are doomed, or at least prone to constant conflict, disappointment, and pain. Despite this obvious fact, our culture places much more emphasis on the external factors than on the characteristics that contribute to lasting, healthy relationships.

Are Christians “hot”? And should they be?

If you visit a Christian bookstore, and glance over the covers of books and CDs, you’ll surely see that some Christians have what it takes to be hot in the world’s estimation (as long as they keep their mouth shut about their faith!). And of course there are many others who are not-so-hot on the outside, quite like the rest of us.

Should we even be asking about our hotness? Apparently so, because in Revelation 3:14-22, God describes one of the church’s weak spots as a failure to be “hot” (or cold) — instead the church has become just so-so.

It’s clear that what appeals to God as hot is not the same as what our culture esteems. God’s woman in Revelation is described as pure, clothed in white linen which represents her character (Revelation 19:8). She is modest and consecrated. By contrast, the other woman in Revelation, God’s enemy, whom He calls a harlot, is described in very different terms — clothed luxuriously, and inflamed with evil passions (Revelation 17:1-6).

“Hotness” can be defined as the intensity of something. For example, the intensity of one’s sexual attractiveness, or the intensity of one’s faith. There are many aspects of human nature that can be described on a hotness-coldness scale: we could add our emotional nature, our intellectual aptitude, our sociability, our health and vitality. Of all these qualities, the Bible clearly communicates that spiritual fervor is the most important way to be hot. More generally, it is worthy to aspire to whatever makes us better people. And while it’s undoubtedly true that God wants us to be attractive physically, it’s best to keep the lust of the world on ice. It’s exactly the inverse of how the world views things.

Are you hot? Am I? And in what ways? It’s good to be hot where we ought — but not where we will be a stumbling stone to others.

• Justification and Sanctification: What is the Difference?
• Is Jesus the Same Person as the Father?
• Should Unbelievers Lead Christians in Worship in a Church Service?
• What Is Pentecost?
• Did Jesus and Paul Teach the Same Thing?
• What Does 666 Mean?
• Does the Bible Tell Us If There Is Life on Other Planets?
• Why Do We Worship on Sunday Instead of Saturday?

Give up?

Answer: These are all subject lines in spam messages that I’ve received this month. Every last one of them is selling the same thing — medications. I’ve never checked, but I doubt that “medications” means Tylenol.

The first time I received one of this type of spam, I was momentarily flattered. I thought maybe a stranger had stumbled across one of my blogs, and impressed with the depth of my biblical knowledge and scholarly insight, had decided to offer up a deep Bible question. Until, of course, I opened the message and was immediately unflattered.

Talk about false advertising! I hate deceptive advertising — so much, in fact, that when I receive such a piece in the mail, I immediately discard it. You’ve probably seen plenty yourself: The letter that contains apparently hand-written messages just for you (but if you look closely you can tell it’s printed on a press). The urgent looking FedEx-style package that, on closer inspection, bears a presorted bulk rate stamp or indicia. The envelope that looks like a serious legal or financial statement, but is really just a promotion. I always trash these things, no matter how good the deal might otherwise seem. What’s really sad is when one of these comes from a humanitarian organization or ministry. Because then, even though I might have given money to the same organization before, I will probably never do so again.

Naturally for someone as introspective as I am, this invariably leads to the question: Am I false advertising? Do I pretend to be something I am not? Am I really a Christian, or do I just look like one? Maybe I don’t even look like one — I’m just fooling myself.

I suppose every Christian is somewhat of a two-sided picture, reflecting more and more the glory of God, while also revealing fallen humanity at times. The saints we read about in the Bible — Peter, Paul, David, Noah, and every one — all had their struggles. Yet they also confessed their sinfulness, and that made even their inconsistency more genuine and unpretentious. They didn’t claim or pretend to be something they were not. What about me? How sincere am I?

This story of the unfaithful servant was the subject of our August 17 home vespers. Our leading questions for this study were: Why did the evil servant behave as he did? Is his behavior suggestive of complacent Christians today who may not, in a literal sense, beat up their fellow Christians or hang out at bars or taverns?

We had a great discussion, as usual, with many excellent points contributed by the host and others present. A couple thoughts that came to me through this study follow:

Is it possible the evil servant’s behavior arose from frustration? Often we can tolerate what we perceive as flaws, defects, and vices in others for a time. If we expect order to be restored soon, and our grievances corrected, we may choose to wait those things out. But if those corrections are long in coming, and we begin to lose faith in a speedy remedy, our patience can wear thin. We begin to think of taking matters into our own hands. Although God says, “Vengeance is mine,” we start to wonder whether we can wait for God’s intervention. Is it possible that the beating the evil servant dishes out to his fellow servants represents the conflicts and in-fighting present in the church, arising from members who are fed up with their fellow Christians’ behavior? This is especially a temptation for those who have power or influence, and who feel others must adapt to their wishes.

“Eating and drinking with the drunken” seems to represent a complete sell-out. The evil servant is so disillusioned that he forgets his accountability and honor, and surrenders to self-indulgence and careless living. Is it possible that this aspect of the story mirrors the lives of Christians today, who, tired of their strained hopes and battered faith, and no longer seeking unity with each other, then give way to worldly ambitions and sinful pleasures? They completely lose sight of their responsibilities to give others regular attention and care (see v. 45), and fall into senseless self-seeking.

Our discussion went on a long tangent as we discussed what would happen if we kept Christ’s return in focus. We talked about our goals, and walking with God. All of this reminded me of a poem I learned in high school, which I shared with them:

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’

And he replied,
‘Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!’

(This is a partial quote; you can find the complete poem here.)

The beauty of that poem lies in what is says about human plans and vision. In the poem, light and darkness do not represent truth and error, or good and evil. They represent knowledge and foresight, versus lack of knowledge. Often as we stand on the threshold of the future, we want to know exactly what will happen: Will I get this job? Will I have friends there? What fate awaits me?

We suppose that if we had answers to these questions, we could make wise plans. Yet the author of this poem realized that walking with God, and trusting His guidance, is a safer, surer path than walking in the light of our own knowledge. In fact, knowledge can actually turn into a curse if we presume to think we can use it to chart our own course; in that case, it is more blessed to be in the dark, where we are compelled to seek God’s direction. Though God often may lead us in paths that seem strange or unnecessary or even cruel, at the end we always find, or will find, some happy surprises.

E. Herman, quoted by Elisabeth Elliot, The Mark of a Man

Christ’s Sermon on the Mount declares who are the truly blessed: “Blessed are the poor in spirit [those who are not self-exalted, but candid, and of a humble disposition, not too proud to be taught, not vain and ambitious for the honors of the world]: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn [those who are penitential, submissive, and who grieve over their failures and errors because the Spirit of God is grieved]: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek [those who are gentle and forgiving, who, when reviled, will not revile again, but who manifest a teachable spirit, and do not hold themselves in high esteem]: for they shall inherit the earth.” Those who possess the qualifications here enumerated will not only be blessed of God here in this life, but will be crowned with glory, honor, and immortality in His kingdom.

Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2, 631. (Words in brackets are original to the quote.)

Reflecting on those words makes me wonder about my own priorities and perspectives, as well as my relation to others. Sends a warm shiver down my spine just thinking about it.

This statement is powerful, too:

To be poor in spirit is to be never satisfied with present attainments in the Christian life, but to be ever reaching up for more and more of the grace of Christ.

Ellen White, The Published Ellen G. White Writings CD-ROM.

One member shared how she worked herself into a frenzy trying to save money. She needed to buy a car. Finally she realized God wanted her to turn to Him — and that meant she was to stop working slavishly, and trust God to provide. She did, and before long she was able to buy a car. Moreover, it was a car she ordinarily wouldn’t have considered because of its price. The question was then raised, What does that story imply about how we ought to approach problems? Should be try to solve a problem first on our own, and if that doesn’t work, turn to God? Or should be just ask God from the start to work out the details, and not concern ourselves with it further?

We all know of those who come to church or to prayer gatherings, and constantly present their wants and needs. Yet God never seems to grant their requests. And, knowing their situation, we may think, “Well, of course. They are so lazy and negligent, they continually bring this trouble on themselves. Why should God do anything for them?” In other words, we think if they’d just shape up and get their act together, many of their problems would go away. With a little muscle and determination they could answer their own prayers. This says something about us. We want to trust God and work with Him, yet we also have this sense that we need to do our part. Is that wrong?

As one of our group said, we are conflicted. We blame ourselves for not having more faith, for not turning to God sooner when we face problems, for turning to works instead of resting in faith. But we also blame ourselves for offloading our responsibility on God, for not doing what we can, for presuming on God’s grace. How can we resolve this inner conflict in what we expect and how we behave?

On further reflection, to seems clear that the Bible wants us to be hard-working and diligent. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10. Be “not slothful in business; [but be] fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11. The book of Proverbs is full of encouragement to work hard and resist idleness.And there are many other verses throughout the Bible supporting the same thought. The Bible seems to plainly say we ought to work diligently and do our best.

Yet there seems to be a threshold when we are beyond diligent, when we become overburdened by cares or start to slip into self-sufficiency. Jesus detected this on one occasion in Martha (Luke 10:38-42). In the parable of the sower, He represented this condition as the seed snuffed out by weeds (Matthew 13:22). There is a danger that we can become so busy helping ourselves, or even “doing God’s work,” that we no longer have time for God. We may even start to imagine that our life is all about us, and forget to seek first God’s kingdom. In these times, God calls us away from the cares of life to focus on what is more important: our relationship with Him.

It is even possible that God will bring trials and setbacks into our life to demonstrate the futility of our self-centeredness. These occasions help us see that what we need is not what we think we need (money, time, family, health, or whatever it is that distracts us), but instead what we need most is Him.

All of this is a lesson I’m still learning. But hopefully now I will be more mindful of what matters most: God’s place in my time and priorities.