Introduction
The Big Idea
An Introduction to Be Equipped
by Ken Baugh
Simplicity is in. Believe it or not, it’s actually becoming cool not to accumulate more stuff. It used to be that having more material possessions proved that a person was successful and important. There are certainly many people who still believe that, but I’ve noticed a trend where people who can afford more stuff are choosing not to buy it in order to live a simpler and stress-free life.
For example, I have a friend who not long ago was contemplating the purchase of a private airplane because it made sense for his transportation needs. However, as he thought more about it, he chose not to buy the airplane, not because he couldn’t afford it, but because he didn’t want to manage one more thing in his life. My friend wanted to simplify his life, not to make it more complicated. I suspect that many people are finally beginning to realize that more stuff does not lead to happiness and greater esteem. It just makes life more complicated.
Not long ago I was thinking of buying a computer software program (I know, it’s not an airplane, but you gotta work with what you have). I chose not to buy it because I just didn’t want the pressure of having to learn one more computer program. I’m beginning to realize, like my friend, that there’s something to keeping life simple. I’m certain that Jesus would agree.
Jesus kept His life simple. Think about it. Jesus didn’t own a home. He didn’t have to worry about mortgage payments and upkeep. Jesus didn’t own any land or animals that required His time and attention, and Jesus wasn’t married, nor did He have a family to take care of. Instead, Jesus lived a simple life and proclaimed a simple message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 4:17 NIV).
Perhaps the greatest example of Jesus’ commitment to simplicity is seen in His encounter with an expert in Jewish law, who one day asked Him a complicated question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Now, this was probably a loaded question, because these guys were always trying to trap Jesus into saying something that would discredit Him in the eyes of the people. But I love Jesus’ reply, because it is not only profound but is also incredibly simple. “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:36–40 NIV).
Pretty simple, huh? Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 as the “first and greatest commandment.” This points to the Big Idea of Deuteronomy: obedience. If loving God is the greatest commandment, then obedience to God’s commands is the greatest expression of love for God. Jesus said it well: “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15 NIV).
And the greatest practical expression of my obedience motivated by love is to love my neighbor. John reminds us of this when he writes, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20–21 NIV). Therefore, Jesus’ response to this expert in the law sums up the entire teaching in the Old Testament in these simple instructions: Love God and love people. This was the essence of Moses’ instructions to the Israelites as he equipped them to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land.
So what does this mean for us today? Simply this: Obedience to God’s Word is to be motivated by love. This was Moses’ message to the Israelites, and it is the same message to you and me today. When people love God, they want to obey Him. Not because they have to, and not because they fear His reprisal if they don’t. Instead, loving God flows from a relationship with God that He initiated with us. John explains, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV).
God’s love equips God’s people to obey God’s commands. Therefore, the more I internalize God’s love, the more I will want to please Him. How does a person internalize God’s Word? Again, it’s a simple process: Read it, study it, meditate on it, memorize it, and share it with others. God’s Word is supernatural (2 Tim. 3:16–17; Heb. 4:11–12), and the more I get His supernatural truth into my heart, the more God will use His Word through the power of the Holy Spirit to transform my mind (Rom. 12:2). And the more my mind is transformed, the better equipped I am to obey God’s commands and live for His glory.
It’s simple but not easy. That’s why we need the power of the Holy Spirit working within us. Let God’s love fill your heart through the intake of His Word, and Be Equipped to obey everything He commands.
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Dr. Wiersbe’s commentaries have been a source of guidance and strength to me over the many years that I have been a pastor. His unique style is not overly academic, but theologically sound. He explains the deep truths of Scripture in a way that everyone can understand and apply. Whether you’re a Bible scholar or a brand-new believer in Christ, you will benefit, as I have, from Warren’s insights. With your Bible in one hand and Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary in the other, you will be able to accurately unpack the deep truths of God’s Word and learn how to apply them to your life.
Drink deeply, my friend, of the truths of God’s Word, for in them you will find Jesus Christ, and there is freedom, peace, assurance, and joy.
—Ken Baugh
Pastor of Coast Hills Community Church
Aliso Viejo, California