Common sense is very uncommon. Horace Greeley

We hear a lot today about the death of common sense -  and why not? It seems that so many things in life lack any semblance of reason. Yet common sense can never die as long as we keep in touch with the source of common sense, namely, God.

I have found a very simple way to keep a proper perspective in a world gone mad. Before I step a foot out of bed, I express my gratitude to God for His blessings, and I entreat Him to help me serve Him as best I can.

Then, prior to breakfast, I open the Psalms and read a chapter. Without fail, I receive a word of comfort, of direction, of praise, and of perspective. Total time elapsed between the prayer and the reading is about two minutes. Not a bad price to pay for a good day and a bit of common sense from the Creator of the Universe.

If you have been feeling that the world is losing its grip on common sense and wisdom - welcome to the club! The only question is which will you let dictate the type of day you will have - God, or those who have abandoned common sense? The correct answer to that question could truly change your perspective and your life.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 (KJV)

There is plenty of courage among us for the abstract, but not enough for the concrete because we allow our daily bits of bravery to evaporate.

Helen Keller

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to talk about the virtues of Christian living? When we are in the safe and friendly environment of our church buildings, it is easy to talk about things like faithfulness, courage and undying devotion. When we are surrounded by the support of strong Christian brothers and sisters, we can easily imagine our having the faith of Abraham, the courage of David, the devotion of Ruth. Then we leave our places of worship and go out into the real world - and what do we find?

We find that the real world does not operate on theory - it must be lived.

When Jesus was with his disciples at the last supper, he told them that they would abandon Him. To a man, the apostles stated that they would die with Jesus rather than ever deny Him. It was easy to be courageous when they were in the cozy upper room, surrounded by allies and in the presence of Jesus.

Then came the test. (Have you ever noticed that life always comes with tests?) Evil men came to arrest Jesus. There were a lot of them. They had swords. Some of the apostles wanted to fight back with swords, but Jesus stopped them. Jesus did not come into this world for a sword fight - He came into the world to save it. When the apostles realized that Jesus was not going to vanquish the enemy in the way they thought, they did what you and I often do. They abandoned their theories of courage and faithfulness. And they ran away.

Have you ever run away when your Christian faith was tested? I have. More times than I care to remember. The point of all of this is not to suggest that we will never fail - the point is to determine what we will do after we have failed. For Christianity was never designed to merely discuss in the abstract, it was designed for living. And... Christian living requires courage.

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

Isaiah 7:9, NIV

We who have lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances - to choose one's own way. Viktor Frankl

To often, we believe that happiness comes from external factors: The weather, the economy, the quality of our health or in things going our way. While it is true that these things can provide temporary happiness, lasting contentment does not depend on our circumstances, rather, it depends on our attitude to those circumstances.

It is sad to see a child throw a tantrum because he did not get his way, or a teenager crushed for weeks on end because the "love of their life" has left them. Sadder still is when we see adults wither from the disappointments of life and then go moping through their days because their lot in life is not what they had planned. The fact is that we will have disappointments from time to time, and some of them will bring us to our knees - but this must not be allowed to continue for extended periods. We can choose to be content!

I believe the reason that so many people suffer from extended depression is that they fail to take the time to count their blessings. Of course there will be times of mourning - the Scriptures promise us that this is so. But, bad news must not be permitted to dominate our existence, for we are children of the King! We are going to Heaven, should we choose to live for God in His way, and we will be with our loved ones there, should they choose to do the same.

So, the next time we feel like wallowing in our own self-pity, why not instead offer a humble prayer of thanksgiving for the things that are so very good in our lives? Why not choose an attitude of joy and thankfullness in the Savior who gives us strength? We can, you know, if we choose to.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13, NIV

"Choose your friends wisely." - Your Mom

All of us who have had mothers (this should include most of us) have probably heard some variation of the above quote on many occasions. When we failed to listen to this advise, our poor decision always, always, always came back to haunt us. And, when we actually took this advise, it nearly always resulted in the very pleasant benefit of quality friends.

This advise, however, goes way beyond the people we choose to hang out with. It also goes for the places we frequent - from the schools and social groups we join to the places of entertainment we frequent. Choose wisely in these areas and you can expect to reap rich rewards. Choose poorly and you can expect to pay a heavy penalty.

This advise also applies to the things we put into our minds. Whether we are talking about the type of literature we read or the television and movies we watch or the songs we listen to or the things we view on the internet, these "friends" will surely enhance our minds and lives, or they will pollute them just as surely as toxic sludge pollutes the water supply.

More than anything else, we need to choose our friends wisely when it comes to our souls. We need to choose wisely when it comes to the church we attend - is it a place to worship God, or is it little more than a social club? We need to make sure that we maintain a close relationship with the Bible, for it truly contains the very words of God. And, our very best friends must be our heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - for if we choose Them for friends, we will have made the wisest decision that a man can make and guarantee ourselves an eternity of joy. On the other hand, should we be so foolish as to choose another friend instead, we will surely pay for that poor decision with an eternity of sorrow. 

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20, NIV