"The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me"  (Psalm 116:6).

A funny thing happened. There was once a controversial man whom furious soldiers were desperate to arrest. For the past three years he had been raising dust: confronting merchants who had turned God's temple into a goods clearing warehouse. He had healed the sick and once raised from the dead a friend. Although these were times before print and visual technology had not advanced, you could imagine his identity by then was so obvious!

But then there was a small problem. This man lived such a simple life! He lived simply among the people he worked for. There was nothing conspicuous about him. Perhaps it was his deeds and piercing lessons that would make him the talk of town, but he was just an ordinary fellow, best known as              "Jesus the son of a carpenter."

So, when one of his disciples, Judas, decided to betray him, the deal was that to help the soldiers figure him out, he had a marker: Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him"  (Mathew 26:48). And it is exactly what happened.

Here is the point. A simple lifestyle was actually Jesus's security. Had he been living large he would have been so conspicuous that there would be no need for his betrayer to spot him out with a kiss.

We too, can pick a lesson from Jesus. A simple lifestyle is in itself your best security. Living large with excess baggage not only makes you stand out as different but actually makes you an easy target. By living simply there is little to worry to protect, but, more so, you confuse those eager to slay you down for you are so ordinary, that they have trouble even identifying you. Isn't that something to think about!

Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, as you lived a simple and ordinary lifestyle of serving the people, may we too be inspired, as this in itself is our security, this we pray in Jesus's name.