The Simplicity of the Gospel

Readings 031826 

 

Some days, my heart gets troubled.
Because I hear voices out there—loud voices—
promising miracles for a fee,
healing for a donation,
financial safety if you “sow a seed”
into their ministry.

It turns into,
Pay me… and I’ll go to Jesus for you.
And that is not the Gospel.

Yes, we need the Church.
Yes, the Church needs our support.
But the preacher should not be living
in a mansion,
flying private,
while the people of God
struggle to buy groceries.

Jesus lived simply.
The most extravagant thing He owned
was a seamless garment—
and they took it from Him
and cast lots for it.

And listen to His words:
“I cannot do anything on my own.”
“I do not seek my own will
but the will of the One who sent me.”
“My Father is at work… so I am at work.”

That is the heart of real ministry—
not self‑promotion,
not luxury,
but obedience.
A life poured out.
A life aligned with the Father.

And Jesus reminds us
that the hour is coming
when every one of us
will rise to meet Him—
some to the resurrection of life,
some to the resurrection of judgment.

So the question becomes simple:
Am I following the Jesus
who lived simply,
loved deeply,
and sought only the Father’s will?

Because that Jesus
is the One who saves.

Prayer: 

Lord Jesus, 

Teach my heart to love the Gospel in its purity.

Keep me close to the simplicity 

with which You lived and served.

Guard me from voices 

that promise what only You can give.

Make my life obedient to the Father, as Yours was.

Strengthen Your Church with humble, faithful hearts.

Raise me on the last day to the resurrection of life.

And let me follow only You, the One who saves.

Amen

Where the Water Carries Us

 

 Readings 031726 

I asked a friend once what he thought it would be like
when he finally met Jesus for his judgment.
This good Cajun man smiled and said,
“I think I’ll meet Him beside my favorite fishing spot on the bayou.
We’ll sit on a log, and He’ll ask me about my life.
I sure hope I’ve got some good stories to tell Him.”

That picture has stayed with me over the years.
And today’s scriptures make it feel even more real.

Ezekiel sees water—
just a trickle at first—
but the farther he walks with God,
the deeper it becomes.
Ankle‑deep.
Knee‑deep.
Waist‑deep.
Until grace becomes a river
so wide you can only swim in it.
Where that river flows,
life follows—
fruit on the trees,
healing in the leaves,
joy in the city of God.

Then the Gospel carries us
to another place of water—Bethesda—
where a man has waited thirty‑eight years
for something to change.
And Jesus doesn’t wait for the pool to change the man.
He moves the man’s heart instead.
“Do you want to be well?”
And with one word,
He turns waiting into rising.

Maybe that’s the story God wants from us—
how His grace carried us from the shallow places
into the deep,
how His voice lifted us
when nothing else could.

And maybe one day,
sitting beside our own quiet bayou,
we’ll smile and say,
“Lord, I’ve got some good stories to tell You—
because You were in every one of them.”

 Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,

Let Your grace carry me
from the shallow places into the deep.
Sit with me beside the quiet waters
and remind me You were in every story.
Heal what is tired, lift what has waited too long,
and make my heart a river where Your life can flow. 

When I meet You at last, let my life speak of Your love.

Amen