"The Simple Bare Necessities"

Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado

This bear reminds me of Baloo from Disney's version of the Jungle Book. Many of us can hear him sing, "Look for the bare necessities, The simple bare necessities, Forget about your worries and your strife." It appears that this bear has taken Baloo's advice.

"You make the path of life known to me. Complete joy is in your presence. Pleasures are by your side forever." Psalm 16:11 God's Word to the Nations

Here's the difference between Baloo and us: Baloo's course to a worry free life is his personal philosophy, we follow the "path of life" that God has revealed to us in his word.

Our worry meets its end at the foot of Jesus' cross. That probably sounds simplistic, yet it wasn't simple for Christ. The bloody sweat of the Garden proves that it was anything but simple for Jesus to carry our worries on his cross.

There are many things that would rob us of the joy that God intends for us to experience on his "path of life." We might be experiencing one or more of these joy robbers, but in midst of these troubles the psalmist calls us into the presence of God. The cross opens the path. The Scriptures reveal the path. The Spirit leads us on this path.

May you, through Jesus, experience joy in God's "simple bare necessities of life."

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(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.