Don’t Be Corrupted
Don't Be Corrupted
I love to grill. Many love the way I grill a good ribeye steak or chicken thighs. They will ask me what I did to make it taste so good. I find it simple: I rub olive oil on it, add coarse salt and ground pepper, and then sear it on the grill. After that, I bring down the heat to let it finish to my desired level.
There was a time I would marinate things in excess; they did not have the same appeal then. It was overthought, often overcooked, and made complicated.
The idea of corruption deals with being made to shrivel or wither, or be spoiled. It can mean being ruined by leaving behind something right to embrace something wrong. Overcomplicating a matter can ruin its beauty.
An artist can reach a point where a painting should be done, but thinks it needs more and keeps adding until the beauty and appeal are lost. By questioning the value of it in its simplicity and continuing to add to it, the value is diminished.
Depth of desire is usually what will determine the value of something. I desire something that works simply and does not require me to have a PHD to know all the steps for making it function. To me, the simpler the better.
This idea of being corrupted comes to us in Scripture as a concern that Paul, as an apostle, had regarding one of the churches.
2Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
When the enemy wishes to confuse and corrupt a believer, he does not do so by simple arguments. He does so by presenting complex arguments that sound very knowledgeable and intellectually convincing.
As stated by Will Rogers, sadly, common sense isn't too common. Too often, people, myself included, find it challenging to keep it simple. For instance, having the ability to know that, “When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.”
I have often had someone come to me asking for advice and telling me what it is they're struggling with. I asked them what they have been doing to address the problem. Often, what they reveal to me is different complicated self-will oriented angles of approach using the same solution. That's when I will ask them, "How's that working for you?"
When I tell them to apply the gospel, they often say it is too simple and then continue doing the same thing in different ways, getting the same result they have always had. The thing Paul, as an apostle, is getting at is that the simplicity of the gospel is our best option in all matters of life. Never underestimate the wisdom and the power of such a simple thing as the good news of Christ. Never let someone convince you that there's more that is needed. Jesus is quite enough; learning to turn to Him, trust in Him, and understand what it means to be in Him provides everything anyone will ever need in this life.
2Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
Don't be corrupted.
