Acts 2:46
Just before Christmas I started re-reading the Book of Acts, combining study with meditation on what the Book was saying to me. As I reached chapter 2, three words in verse 46 almost leapt off the page and stopped me in my tracks.
Verses 46 and 47 say: “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people.”(Acts 2:46,47) It was those words “Simplicity of heart” that grabbed my attention.
The battle between spirit and soul
The concept of “simplicity” in my life as a Christian has interested me for a long time, so I was keen to explore exactly what those three words meant for me.
Before I became a Christian, my soul and my spirit were united in seeking worldliness, taking little notice of anything spiritual. The moment I became a follower of Jesus my spirit was ‘taken over’ by the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. My spirit instantly became perfect and incapable of existing in the old way of sinfulness. But my soul remained worldly. There remains a battle within me for holiness, to be truly set apart for God’s purposes.
So where does the heart fit into this? I see my heart as the seat of an ongoing, still developing relationship between my spirit and my soul.
Before I was a follower of Jesus Christ, my heart was cold because my unreformed soul was stronger than my spirit. But as a His disciple my spirit is now winning over my soul; its increasing influence is producing in me a warm heart. A warm heart shows sincerity, simplicity, singleness of purpose. These are all words that translate the Greek word haplotes which is used especially by Luke and Paul in the Bible to describe a truly Christian heart.
How do I respond?
As I reflected on these things I was prompted to do three things. First to assess my priorities. Did I know what God’s purpose was for my life at this time, in this season? Where was the focus of my heart? (I need to ask these questions regularly)
Second, my thoughts turned to practicalities. How did I need to reorder my life, how should I spend my day? What needed to change?
And finally I had to reflect on how much progress I was making. Was I successful in setting myself apart for Him, to serve Him fruitfully, to spend more time in His presence?
Richard’s Prayer
I love Richard of Chichester’s prayer, written in the 13th century:
“Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ,
For all the benefits which you have given me,
For all the pains and insults which you have borne for me.
O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,
May I know you more clearly,
Love you more dearly,
Follow you more nearly,
Day by day.
Amen”.
A final thought
The prayer speaks of deepening the knowing, the loving and the following of our Lord Jesus Christ. All three of these need the soul and spirit to be in line. But the body is also involved as well. So a final thought. The body doesn’t do anything of its own accord, it only does what it is told. So, if your inner man, spirit and soul are in unity and working together, then your outer man (your body) must be obedient to them.
Can you see the power that you walk in when your soul and body are lined up with your spirit? That’s the joy of having “simplicity of heart”!
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