Articles
Common Sense
Have you ever given thought to something that has crossed my mind frequently lately: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO COMMON SENSE!!
It seems our culture, society, and political environment has been inundated with anger, hate, and selfishness towards our fellowman. Many folks treat each other as enemies. It's become hard to watch much news, or read a paper without being exposed to so much hatred one for another. It seems to me the further we are from God the worse the situation becomes. Israel is a good example of a people (along with many others) who tried to leave God out of the equation many times, and suffered the consequences. Let us consider a passage from James.
"Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water" Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Neither can salt water produce fresh. Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have BITTER JEALOUSY AND SELFISH AMBITION IN YOUR HEART, DO NOT BE ARROGANT AND SO LIE AGAINST THE TRUTH. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealously and selfish ambition exist, THERE IS DISORDER AND EVERY EVIL THING." (James 3:11-16).
You might like to read the next couple verses in this chapter of James.
Does this not profile in many ways the world around us nowadays? The attitude of "get ahead no matter what the cost", or "everybody lies sometimes" seems to be the standard of many in the world. Show hate for your neighbor rather than love. But, as Christians, we are to live as God's servants and not as the world. (1 John 2:15) We have warning after warning to keep us from living our lives as those in the world. In the Roman letter early on in the first chapter Paul emphasizes to those Christians the danger of doing so.
"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in for form of corruptible man and of birds and four footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. " (Romans 1:21-24)
Paul clearly warns those in Corinth about their behavior and actions. Notice the words he gives us in First Corinthians chapter six.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God: Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9,10)
We know this is not an exhaustive list of sins; but I think we get the idea. The world around us is not listening to God; are we? Since we see so many warnings in the Scriptures we should understand how much danger God is warning us to avoid.; He knows the temptations we will experience, and wants to help us overcome those as they come. (1 Corinthians 10:13) Satan never misses a chance to do his work. We have to be on guard every day. Thanks for a bit of your day.
Ross
