Godliness Can Be Very Complex or Very Simple

Our situations in life often require different kinds of counsel. Sometimes all we need is a “Just do it!” or “Stop it” command, other times we need a long and very detailed set of instructions to fulfil our daily responsibilities before God. The same is true of God’s counsel to us. We are taught in Scripture of the riches of God’s character and dealings with us. We are rebuked on how it is our desires which are the cause of all our actions. We are instructed in why there is so much evil in the world and how to respond to it. We are encouraged through numerous examples to remain steadfast in what is right. We are counselled regarding what we need to change and how we change.

But at the same time, God offers simple lists of things to do so we can still be godly even when life is just a little too much. When our weaknesses are strong, it is these lists of godliness items that still keep us doing what is right when we have no strength for the nuances of it all.

The simplicity of Ephesians 5:33-6:1 keeps our priorities right when family life is filled with too many things. Philippians 4:8-9 is a list for simple godliness in the middle of trials demanding much thinking or producing much anxiety. Galatians 5:22-23 simplify the complexities of inter-personal problems with others. When there are just too many different kinds of people to deal with, the short list in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 helps define the most appropriate response to each. Then there is always the broad-spectrum list of three in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 that seemed to work for every situation in which the Apostle Paul found himself. As far as your spiritual well-being is concerned, there is no list as brief in words and as broad in edification as Acts 2:42.

Putting it all together, it would go something like this:

When all in life is just a little too much,
still read your Bible and pray.
Go meet with the saints,
and rejoice in the Lord.
Make sure your spouse is loved,
and your children too.
Be kind in what you say,
and be patient every day.

– Anonymous Christian