Weekly Devotional: Simple Faith
“For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.” (2 Corinthians 1:12)
We are all called to a simple, even child-like, faith. But how is that attainable when our lives feel anything but simple and when we are faced with so many un-child-like things, such as careers, debt, relationships, etc.? A simple faith feels impossible, frustrating and even insulting to all of the responsibilities we have.
The truth is that a “simple faith” is anything but simple. At first, that is.
It takes dedication and discipline to have a sincere relationship with the Lord. A simple faith is not a naive faith and it’s not an easy faith either. It’s a choice to believe who Jesus is and what He has done for us. It’s plain belief. That doesn’t mean we won’t have questions, or that we’ll understand everything at all times, or even that this plain belief will come naturally. In fact, we will always have questions and we will always wrestle with the complexity and mystery of God.
The difference is that when these questions arise, we would be encouraged to stretch our belief even further and accept that there are things in this world and in this life that we will not understand. Yet, we still believe that God is in control and that He has a plan for our individual lives, the whole world and for His kingdom. In John 13:7, Jesus told the disciples while washing their feet, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
It takes courage to address the things in the Bible we don’t understand or the parts of God we don’t see or feel. It’s difficult to face all the world’s tragedies and brokenness, to hear of their opinions and claims against “God” and to still choose to believe in God and who He says He is. There is no task more difficult than to turn all of that off and to focus on God and His Word.
Today’s world preaches self-protection and preservation. We have so much anxiety attached to belief, always so fearful of being tricked or being wrong. The hardest part of Christianity is truly receiving God’s forgiveness and love. It feels wrong to accept something that we so obviously don’t deserve. It feels too good to be true, too easy, too simple.
But that’s what God is offering each one of His children! He made faith so simple, and He did it to rid our hearts of fear and to make room for love and praise towards Him. Sin entered the world and made love complicated, but sin cannot distort God’s love. When we accept His love, we can live a simple faith. Though there will be times that we do not understand ourselves, our lives or the world we live in, we can be confident in who God is and sure of His love.
So, learn to embrace a simple faith! It’s what God designed and intended for each one of us. And it might just be the bravest thing you can do.
Grand Canyon University trusts God in all situations. If you would like to learn more about GCU’s Christian identity and heritage, visit our website or contact us using the Request More Information button on this page.