Common Sense vs. Spiritual Sense

Have you ever just asked God to give you the common sense to do what needs to be done, ignoring what shouldn't be done? I have on many occasions - simply because my common sense alone doesn't keep me from doing what I should not do! The sense to follow God's commands is not always the first thing that comes to mind for us, is it? Sometimes we choose to ignore what we know is right in pursuit of what we know might be 'okay', but it isn't exactly 'right'. We need his wisdom to know the difference.

You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. (Psalm 119:73 NLT)

Who best knows the creation than the one who created it? The one who created us is perfectly aware of all the inner conflict that goes on between wanting our own way and knowing we need to follow his commands. He knows the 'tension' this creates within us and he stands at the ready to help us navigate that tension together. The good news is that there is 'tension' between our self-desire and his will. If that tension didn't exist, we might just have chosen to live apart from his will entirely!

Does it take more than 'common sense' to follow his commands? You bet it does! If common sense alone could get us to forsake sin's pull and walk uprightly before the Lord, that would be great, but our own common sense is tainted by everything around us. It isn't reliable because it is based in 'moveable' norms and 'changeable' facts. When God gives us the 'sense' to follow his commands, it is more of a 'spiritual sense' that 'dials in on' the things he wants us to pursue and those he desires for us to no longer pursue.

His commands are 'unchanged' for all generations. We might try to say they no longer are applicable by today's standards, but the standards have changed, not his commands! His holiness is unchanged and our sinfulness is undeniable. The only solution is to seek his 'sense' in what to pursue, what to forsake, and what will keep us on track while in pursuit of moving from living our way to living by the standards he has designed for our lives. Those standards may seem a bit 'harsh' or 'rigid' at times, but when we see the rationale for them as only the Creator can reveal to us, we realize they are neither harsh nor rigid. They are lovingly provided so his creation will be safe, secure, and sane!

He made us. He created every part of our being. He gave us free-will. What we choose to do with that free-will is up to us. We can choose to listen to our own 'common sense' - pretty 'common' and 'ordinary' at best - or seek his 'spiritual sense' to live according to his design for us as his creation. Just sayin!