"The Basics"

"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works..." Revelation 2:5a 

The world has become so complicated. Life is not simple anymore. Even mailing a package is not a simple task now days- postal rates are constantly changing, it depends on where you are mailing it to, how much it weighs, priority mail, flat rate, what the contents are, local rate, international rate, etc. It is like that in every area of this ever changing world-- complicated!

 

It is the same way in the church. It has become complicated with its new "faddish" programs, culture relevance, and social acceptance. It will make you "dizzy" sometimes and cause you to lose sight and focus of what it is really all about. When I got saved and became a babe in Christ, the first thing I was taught was to read my Bible everyday, pray everyday and go to church. These are the basics of Christianity. 

 

I think we need to be reminded from time to time to get back to the basics. If you are feeling dry, if things aren't going right, if you are facing difficulties, if you are feeling confused, check yourself and see if you are practicing the basics. Everything in life builds on the basics. You can't go very far intellectually without the three "R's" (the basics)- Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. You can't bypass or neglect the basics whether it is in baking a cake or working out your own salvation with fear and trembling, you have to have them as a foundation.

 

When the religious leaders had made things so complicated for the people by adding more and more laws for them to follow, Jesus pointed them back to the basics. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 

 

Don't neglect the basics-- love God with all your heart, soul and mind, read the Bible, pray to God, assemble with other Christians and do it daily and it will remove the complication and confusion.

 

Have a great day. Get back to the basics, everything else is built on them. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 22:37-40; 6:33