Devotional
Just a Minute Devotional #44
Common Sense Christianity
He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. (Proverbs 2:7, NLT)
Some philosophers from the era just following Christ’s ascension had analytical brains. They enjoyed analyzing things such as life and its meaning. Paul would speak to these men with the message of the true life from an unknown God.
Their analytical minds could not understand this simplistic message.
Then came the days of Socrates and Plato, followed 800 years later by a Christian philosopher (or theologian) whose name was Augustine. His philosophical authority had persuasive influences even on our modern generation. To this day, many modern-day Christians follow the same creeds, rituals, and doctrines blindly because this is the way it has been done for generations.
As we analyze our actions using common sense, we may understand Christ’s message.
When we become enlightened by God’s grace through Jesus Christ, He instills in us the knowledge of Himself. Jesus was the only true, honest one with impeccable integrity, an attribute He instilled into us due to His justification.
Others see us as people with Christ’s integrity in us.
God gifts us with good common sense; however, through the years, Christians have skewed this. We use our analytics of some scripture to supersede the inclusionist message of love and acceptance.
It is good for us to question the Bible, God, and faith. This is one of the things that makes Christianity a successful paradigm. However, we need to be careful when we tear the Bible to into little pieces to justify our bad behavior.
God, through Jesus, tells us two very important things — love God and love others. These are difficult to master but easy to understand. God granted us common sense, and we would be wise to use it.
Every move or decision should be based on these two common-sense laws. Do my aims and actions show love to God and to others?
Also, one other important question we need to ask ourselves is, “Did Jesus operate outside of these two love laws?”
The answer is, “No.”
