Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
Psalm 37:16 NASB
On September 16, 1994, I wrote a song called Simple Is The Living (read lyrics below). The impetus for this song came while listening to Dudley Hall share about simply living life, as opposed to bowing to the information glut the world subscribes to. Satan’s job is to distract us from keeping our eyes on Jesus. With all the technical gadgets to save us time, we generally wind up wasting quite a bit of our time playing with these toys or spending time going down the endless rabbit holes that social media can become.
With the availability of all types of entertainment and other distractions, we find, at times, we have very little time for other people. With the drudgery of leisure time, we often max out our time with more things to do than we have time for. With the heartache that life invariably has, we can easily be distracted from enjoying our lives ….and from intimate fellowship with the very One who is the Source of our joy – Jesus Christ. When Satan comes to deceive and to distract, we need to remember to bring life back down to its lowest common denominators: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
Psalm 116:6 NASB
So you want to know a simple plan for living a simple life? Look no further than the sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
"Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
"Blessed are you when [people] insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.”
"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:3-12 NASB
Life is better lived when simplified. Love God and love others. It does not get much simpler than that!
Dennis Jernigan
To hear to the song, Simple Is the Living, listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on the subject at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/simple-is-the-living/
Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/07/31/23/45/flowers-2562079_1280.jpg
Simple is the Living
Words & Music
Dennis Jernigan
September 16, 1994
Verse
Joy is born of sorrow
Healing comes through pain
Until a seed can die there is no grain
Joy would have no meaning
Without sorrow and pain
And if we knew no dryness
How could we love the rain?
Chorus
For simple is the living
And simple are the wise
Who know that knowing Jesus satisfies
Simple is the living
And simple are the wise
Who simply live for knowing Jesus Christ
His worth is more than silver
More precious than pure gold
Much more than all the wealth this world could ever hold
Verse
Death gives way to living
Dryness bows to rain
Despair gives way to hope that can sustain
Joy is in the journey
With the One Who leads me home
And whether joy or sorrow
I am not alone