We're All Infected...

In recent days I have been diagnosed with a illbess upon my own observations. It’s not the same kind of sickness as Typhoid fever, or Ebola, but I see it as just as deadly. In actuality this is a disease that we all have common. You may have heard of it, it’s called common sense.

You may be wondering why I am putting the term common sense in the same ward as a life taking disease, and the obvious reason is just that – I see them giving the same results.

Once again I will caution anyone who reads this to remember that my observations are all based off of my observations within the church in North America, and so any critique I may give applies directly to myself and the part of the body that I am acquainted with, but goes no further than that unless you are willing to diagnose yourself and your current situation, I suggest you do.

When I read the stories contained in the Bible I find myself getting pulled into a world where the priorities are on the Lord and His will, where nothing else matters. The concept of having a ‘right’ to something seems so distant. (Perhaps that made it easier for those in the Bible – who are no different than ourselves – because they had no desire to ‘discover who they were’ and ‘individualism’ most likely a foreign idea when laid beside the foundation it seems to play in our contemporary society.)

I read so many stories about wild faith; a man climbing a mountain to sacrifice his own son, a young boy taking on a giant with six rocks as his weapon. A man who was asked to lay on his side in front of a city for an extended amount of time. What about a man who built a huge boat big enough to contain all the animals in the world? There was that one guy who went parted the Red Sea. And then there were those three guys who found themselves in the middle of a fire, yet were not burned.

These are all stories from the Book of Life. I think to myself what my own thought process would be if I thought I were being asked to do that from the Lord and my immediate thought would be “No way, that’s crazy, it doesn’t make sense to do that.”

Well Greg, given your examples above it doesn’t seem that God is all too interested in ‘making sense’, it seems he’s more interested in obedience. Perhaps an uncommon obedience?

What must I do to rid myself of this ‘safe’ manner of thinking? I am so concerned with giving the least and getting the most for it that I often feel contaminated and useless.

Father I long to give you my life, but this pride is so strong that it gets in the way of Your words. Help me to see with Your eyes and to trust completely. Lord may you release us all from the barrier of common sense so that we will be willing to adventure with You. Remove this common sense so that Your will is done on Earth as it is in heaven.

I’m tired of being safe. I need to stop thinking about my own safety. I need a cure.

On a side note, I forbid anyone including myself in using this note as a document that justifies irresponsibility. There is a difference. The idea of doing something ‘uncommon’ because we think the Lord has asked us to is different than doing whatever we want because we are ‘punishing the man’ that is common sense. God gave us a brain, and we need to use it. Just don’t let it ‘out think’ what He is whispering to you in your heart.