It’s something we just can’t live without…

It’s something we just can’t live without…

By Bill McFerrin Local Commentary

Have you ever thought about what we as a country will get to and would be like if we didn't have that thing that we refer to as common sense?

Now today, it looks as though our leaders forget about it most of the time. You know the analogy about the fire and sticking your hand into it — that thing called common sense kicks in and tells you don't do that again because it's going to burn like it did the first time.

That's the reason as I look around at all the decisions that our leaders are making everyday, and it makes me think what will they come up with next, because when they burn our hand they then put it right back in the fire again. If God is leading America (when we let him), then the use of common sense is imperative. But if you look around you in your everyday walk down life's road, you will see common sense leaving more and more everyday.

I know that in our digital world that we live in today if it's on the Internet, then it must be true. But if you are one of those that still use common sense, then half of the time there's a good chance that it's not true. Now with that statement, here is a good place that some common sense should kick in (but don't bet on that happening, because to a lot of people common sense just don't make any sense in our life). When you look at all the political correctness going on then that kind of tells you where a lot of our common sense has gone, and with a lot of young people today, there is a good chance that it won’t return.

I sit here and type and wonder where would there be a place where common sense would not work? And then I came up with one of those places, and that was when Jesus was dying on the cross and the Roman soldiers were busy putting as much pain on him as they possibly could and he was in such agony and suffering, and the soldiers were even gambling for his robe and laughing and having a big time over it. Then when that special time came and he looked down at the soldiers and the rest that were there that day to see him die — although he wasn't guilty of any wrongdoing, but because of who he was. He didn't have to be guilty of anything, because he was sent here for that purpose by God the Father from Heaven to this earth to die, because he loved us all so much When he uttered those famous words from the cross, “forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do,” and then gave up the spirit, it was at this time that this one Roman soldier looked up at him and said truly this was the son of God. I know that at that time, there were earthquakes and the land got darker, but if he had used common sense, it would have told him that if this had been the son of God then he wouldn't be dead, but as we have the opportunity to look back to that time in history, we now know that is was the same thing that happened to the thief on the cross that day — that common sense did not play a part. when Jesus told him because he believed him to be the son of God and not because of what the thief might do for him or himself, he told him today he would be with him in paradise. Well that was the same thing that happened in the heart of the roman soldier.

Now as far as I know, the Bible doesn't tell much, if anything, else about this soldier, but if common sense had kicked in, he would probably have broken into a hard run with all the things that were happening so he could get away from there. But as it has been so many times since the garden of Eden, more likely he had a broken heart over what he took part in and thought if he could undo it, he probably would. But as we know now, God could not permit that to happen because of all of us and so it is the same today even though we were not there that day when all of this happened. You still must remember when we reject his love for us it's not really that different from the other thief that day.

I personally don't think that there is a lot of difference in what that solider did that day and what we do today, because of the way we live. And a lot of the ones before us that we now know did a lot of the same, and this is the reason he was hung there to start with. But just like the soldier and the thief, it's a personal thing in every one of our lives. And whatever choice that each one of us makes, whether it be for him or against, we will have to one day stand before him and give an account for our decision.

Have you ever thought that it takes more faith to believe that there is no God than to believe that there is one, especially with all the evidence that you see everyday unless you have been blinded to that fact? So may God bless every one of you because he wants to, even if your common sense won’t let you believe it.

Bill McFerrin