“… From the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)

The other day, my son David a special needs young man, came out of his room and wanted to ask me a question about a store in which he wanted to purchase something online. Now David does not actually purchase things online but he has excellent computer skills and enjoys searching for gifts for others. I usually help him spell some words that he writes down to later search online. So one day, David comes out and asks, “Dad, how do you spell CVS?” So I tell him…”CVS.” “Yeah I know”, Dave says, “so how do you spell CVS?” Again I say, “CVS.” And one more time Dave says a little more impatiently, “Come on Dad, how do you spell CVS?” And I respond a little more impatiently and louder as well, “C… V… S…!” This went on for about five minutes that tested the sanity of us both! I finally wrote it out for him and went over each letter carefully as he finally got it and shouted out, “Yeah… CVS! Thanks Dad!”

After this encounter with David, I thought of how sometimes we make the Gospel of Jesus Christ more difficult and complicated than it really is. As a student of the Word, I love digging into Scripture and seeking the depths of knowledge and understanding and discussing the meaning and application of some of the least understood areas of the Bible. But for the most part, God’s Word is simple as He clearly means what He says. The “simplicity that is in Christ”… Paul wrote this as he was teaching about the deception, craftiness and corruption by the devil to get believers away from the simplicity and clarity of God’s Word. His role is to complicate the Word, distract from the true meaning and cause confusion in order to turn us away from the Word and seek answers and understanding elsewhere.

The word “simplicity” means uncomplicated, free from pretense, directness of expression and to possess clarity. Although some things may be difficult to understand at first, the Holy Spirit helps us to understand and receive God’s Word without confusion, complication and mis-understanding. Read His Word today with a simplicity and a trust that the Holy Spirit will reveal Christ to us in such a way that will be real and understandable with true clarity and directness.  It’s that simple! Sometimes when I read the Word I ask the Lord to help me read it as if I were 12 years old, uncomplicated and uncorrupted by preconceived notions of what it says. Pray today to receive and understand the simplicity that is in Christ.

All went well that day with David as he finally found CVS on line. I felt good about our little communication lesson… until he came out moments later and said, “Hey Dad, how do you spell DVD ?????”