Jerry Sittser, from his book ‘The Will of God as a Way of Life’ taught:
We learn to manage our multiple callings better if we value simplicity. Few things in life are truly important. Many of the choices we make may appear to be weighty at the moment we make them, but over time they often become less important. Such choices—the career we pursue or the job we take—have an appearance of ultimate significance when in fact they may not be as significant as we think. I’m not even sure God really cares all that much whether we attend public school or private school, become a carpenter or a teacher, marry Susan or remain single, move to New York or stay in Boise. I think he is more interested in the way we conduct our lives, no matter what we do or where we live. We can do God’s will nicely in any of those circumstances.
The apostle Peter kept emphasizing simplicity in his ministry. He wanted to make sure new believers kept first things first and maintained one supreme concern in life—living for God. In his letter to the church at Philippi, he wrote: “And this is my prayer that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.1
According to Paul, the “best” he was referring to concerned their relationship with God. The depth of that relationship would lead to purity of heart, righteousness of character, and fruitfulness of life.
Paul applied this principle to practical decision-making. The Church in Corinth had questions about marriage. They wanted Paul to give them guidelines so they would know under what conditions marriage, divorce and remarriage were acceptable. They were cautious about marriage in particular. Ironically that caution had led them into immorality. Too many members of the church were single but not celibate. Paul allowed for marriage because he recognized that not everyone could be celibate and remain pure. But he had reservations about marriage too, because in his mind it made life more complicated.
Paul concluded, however, that the decision to marry or remarry was secondary. There was a more important issue at stake. Paul challenged the Corinthians to remain single-minded so that their lives would be free of entanglement, clutter, and worry. He wanted them to have one focus, one goal, one supreme concern in life, and thus to cultivate an “unhindered devotion to the Lord.”2 If the believers in Corinth chose to live that kind of life, then the decision to marry or remarry would take care of itself.
Simplicity, therefore, concerns how we want to live our lives, considering life’s complexity and demands. We may own many things, receive much recognition and have more opportunities than we can possibly pursue. Still we must maintain a single focus. Thomas à Kempis reminds us of the importance of such simplicity. In words that should haunt us, concerning how preoccupied we are with wealth, status, and immediate happiness, he cautions us about overestimating what the world has to offer. ~Jerry Sittser, The Will of God as a Way of Life (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000, 2004), 190-92
