God gave us our minds, and He expects us to use them to honor Him (1 Tim. 6:17; 2 Cor. 10:4-5). We are commanded to, “test all things, hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21). God wants us to use our ability to reason in order to come to right conclusions about His will (Isa. 1:18; 1 John 4:1). Truly, Christians are to be people of “common sense” principles. Consider some that operate in all of our lives:
Don’t follow somebody who has never been to heaven – Jesus is the only One who made the round trip from heaven to earth (Phil. 2:6-11). Many are led astray by the doctrines of men (Matt. 15:9) and the philosophies of the world (Col. 2:8). Only Jesus can show us the way to heaven – follow Him (John 14:6; 12:48).
We reap what we sow – There is no escaping this principle, for God is not mocked (Gal. 6:7). Everybody is sowing seeds of one kind or another all the time. Some seeds will produce an unpleasant and painful harvest (Hosea 8:7). Others will produce peace, righteousness and other blessings (James 3:18; Luke 8:11). What are you sowing?
If we do what we’ve always done, we’ll get what we’ve always gotten – The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results. In the struggle with sin, many people need to change what they are doing (James 4:7). Some need to change their company (1 Cor. 15:33). If a person does not like his present circumstances, he needs to do some things differently.
Things don’t just happen, somebody’s got to make them happen – Many wring their hands about a lack of concern for morality in our nation, but is anyone teaching otherwise (Titus 2:3-4; Judges 17:6)? Some congregations are concerned about
declining numbers, but is anyone truly planting seed (Luke 8:11; Matt. 28:18-20)? The wise man quipped: “I used to wonder why somebody didn’t do something, and then I realized I WAS somebody!”
We cannot give others what we ourselves do not possess – Common sense would indicate that a parent cannot pass spiritual values to his children when he himself does not possess those values (Eph. 6:4). A teacher cannot motivate his or her students to be interested in hearing God’s word if the teacher himself is not too interested (1 Tim. 4:15). An elder cannot expect people to be committed to the promotion and defense of the Gospel when he himself has other priorities (Titus 1:9).
A determined man with a rusty wrench can do more than a loafer with new tools – Determination is the key to accomplishment. All the talent in the world is useless if a person is lazy and indifferent (Prov. 6:6-9). Whatever our hands find to do, we ought to
do with all our might (Eccl. 9:10).
Lift where you stand; bloom where God plants you – Common sense teaches that it is impossible for a man to do much to lift burdens when he is some distance away. However, if we will open our eyes we will find that God has given all of us opportunities to lift where we are standing (Gal. 6:1-4). God’s grace is sufficient for us, especially when we acknowledge our own weaknesses before Him (2 Cor. 12:9). Too many Christians obsess about problems beyond their control, when instead they should be lifting where they stand (Matt. 5:13-16; Phil. 2:12-15).