The Bible college where I earned my first degree had a difficult course.
The required course entailed memorizing 300 verses that had to be quoted verbatim on tests. Since I came from a home that had a non-biblical environment. I was sure I would fail. I spent a lot of time asking God for help and writing verses on three by five cards, which I carried everywhere I went.
Certain verses seemed to be foundational and life-changing. I had been raised knowing the carpenter’s credo that no building is stronger than the foundation it rests on. I thought I must be learning what I needed, so I worked hard and got a good grade.
The years went by, and I earned several other degrees and achieved and accumulated. Surprisingly, the more I achieved, the more I lost. A loneliness and sadness set in my core, and this caused me to seek for more.
I concentrated on treating my patients, earning money, and paying everyone’s bills more than I concentrated on what I had found in those early days. God’s opinion and my relationship with Him was what healed my soul.
Moving away from the simple days when the Bible was my foundation and Jesus was my best friend, I let possessions, position, and pleasure rob me of what I needed and loved most: a simple clean relationship-oriented soul.
Repenting, or turning away from, came naturally as I confessed my sins and confusion while turning toward Jesus. I remembered what I had learned long ago: whatever we possess, possesses us.
I decided to go wholeheartedly back to the simple days when all I needed was Jesus, the Word, and my family. I developed a protective feeling against anyone who threatened my relationship with these things. I sold some things, and I discarded some relationships.
Choose to live a life that refuses to leave the simplicity that is in Christ. You’ll never be sorry.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
The Rev. Dr. Bob Segress served as a licensed psychological clinician for twenty-five years. Upon retiring, he served for fifteen years as a prison minister. Retiring again, he began writing full-time after a period of boredom. He has written: The Biblical Approach To Psychology while serving as a college educator, The Shelton Series, and, in 2012, Ten Years Inside Shelton Prison. Currently, he writes for several publications such as Halo Magazine.
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