Words
There is power in words.
Love.
Peace.
Joy.
These three are of the highest ideals in our human experience.
Love is to be valued, appreciated, to hope for the best.
Peace is the lack of strife, trouble, anxiety, or fear.
Joy is the state of bliss that gives one a reason to smile.
It is possible to exchange simple words with more difficult pronunciations and meanings.
However, the most powerful words are often simple and easy to understand.
The New Testament is written at an eighth-grade reading level.
I believe one of the greatest potential thefts of truth is the over-complication and shrouding in what sounds and looks to be intelligence, but too often is pride wrapped up in robes of religion. It may not the be the intent of the speaker or writer, but the general intended audience, the only hope of piercing their armor is to use the weapons of intellect against them.
However, Jesus did not choose this route. He confounded the most educated as a simple twelve-year-old. His choice of those who would establish his church required no particular certification or acceptance of the academy of that time.
In fact, Jesus and his followers were crucified and martyred by these very high-minded and of the most respected class of people.
This brings this scripture in a particular highlight,
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” 1 Corinthians 1:27
Jesus, no doubt, had within the grasp of His intellect and unparalleled access to knowledge and wisdom. Yet, he spent his time engaging the simple ordinary folks.
In fact, Jesus engaged the untouchables and castoffs rather than going overboard in trying to reach the doubting intellectual classes.
I wonder if potentially some have fallen for a mirage of acceptance to the class of People that Jesus won, no doubt. Still, he did not win them by appealing to the things they valued, but by authentically demonstrating what he was offering was accessible to the simple as to the wise.
Simplicity.
Brevity is the soul of wit.
Should we seek to grow in knowledge so that we can most simply explain the great mysteries of God?
Most people agree, to be brief requires a much deeper reservoir of knowledge.
The more I know about God, the more I understand I don’t know.
The more we understand about the greatness, wisdom, power and possibility of God we are rendered almost speechless.
Wow.
Praise the Lord!
God is Awesome!
God is Great!
These kinds of understanding are the things of miraculous consequence.
When we grasp this,
we can truly know.
Love.
Joy.
Peace.
Wow!
That is not given to us by certifications or the acceptance of a particular group of scholars or intellectual groups considered to be the very best in modern scholarship.
However, when we are known and loved by God.
When we can communicate that to common people.
That is worthy of our pursuit and our passion.