KISS

There is a saying that I like....It is an acronym actually:  KISS....Keep It Simple Stupid.  I know that it is not politically correct but it is very appropriate for me to use on myself.  I have a tendency to make things complicated.  To over analyze and over emphasize and over everything that I do or think. 

The Lord has had me staying in the Gospels lately in my reading and blogging.  Hence blogging through the life of Jesus.  I know what some of you are thinking.  I am taking my own sweet time in that process.  Part of what I need to simplify is finding to time to write daily, so I appreciate your prayers...but I digress. 

I am just finishing a book by Brian McLaren called The Secret Message of Jesus.  In the book Brian is looking at the Jesus' message of the Kingdom of God.  A subject that I have been obsessed with since my early twenties.  A mentor and professor challenged me on this subject some 25 years ago.  Yet I digress again.  One passage is this book really has me stoked this morning.  Brian summarizes Jesus' Sermon on the mount.  He calls the Sermon on the Mount, "The Kingdom Manifesto".  I want to  share this with you and then make a few comments.

Be poor in spirit, mourn, be meek, hunger and thirst for true righteousness, be merciful, be pure in heart, be a peacemaker, be willing to joyfully suffer persecution and insult for doing what is right.
Be salt and light in the world - by doing good works.
Do not hate or indulge in anger, but instead seek to reconcile.
Do not lust or be sexually unfaithful in your heart.
Do not presume to make vows, but have simple speech, where yes means yes and no, no.
Do not get revenge, but find creative and nonviolent ways to overcome evil done to you.
Love your enemies, as God does, and be generous to everyone, as God is.
Give to the poor, pray, and fast secretly.
Don't let greed cloud your outlook, but store up treasure in heaven through generosity.
Don't worry about your own daily needs, but instead trust yourself to God's care, and seek God's kingdom first and foremost.
Don't judge others, but instead first wok on your own blindness.
Go to God with all your needs, knowing that God is a caring Father.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Don't be misled by religious talk; what counts is actually living by Jesus' teaching.

When Jesus is finished with the Sermon on the mount he says this: 

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, and the flood came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell - and great was its fall.  (Matthew 7:24-27 NRSV)

It is amazing to me that we as Christ followers can get caught up in so many different things and yet ignore many of Jesus' core teachings.  I think we could camp out right here in Jesus' "Kingdom Manifesto" and do just fine in our walk with God.  I guess that is what it means when God gives us a KISS!