COMMON SENSE

Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares;
at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

"How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.

But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you -
when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

"Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.

Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

- PROVERBS 1:20 - 33 -

Common sense can be learned from experience or the teaching we receive from those we trust. But God's Word is the best source of all to develop discernment and good judgment.
Three words echo throughout the book of Proverbs: WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING. God has packed this book with common sense.
To get more common sense, consult God's Word - the source of wisdom - daily. - Cindy Hess Kasper -

A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. (Proverbs 11:12)
A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. (Proverbs 17:27)
Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare. (Proverbs 20:13)
For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6)

TO GAIN A HEART OF WISDOM:
Ask God for it (James 1:5)
Read regularly from the Proverbs.
Seek out godly counsel (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 19:20)

KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT COMMON SENSE IS FOLLY

THE PLANTING

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

- 1 CORINTHIANS 15:42-53 -

Even though the body of believer in Christ is buried in ground, it will one day be raised to new life. Our natural body is weak, but our spiritual body will be free from sickness, decline, and death. Our new body will be glorified, endowed with power, and like Jesus' resurrection body.

We look forward to that day when the trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ are raised, and "we shall be changed". As we anticipate that day, let's spread the good news of our victory over death through Jesus. - Anne Cetas -

Our Savior's life for us was given
That we might one day bloom in heaven,
Our mortal bodies changed to be
Like His through all eternity!
- Spicer -

CHRIST'S RESURRECTION GUARANTEES OUR OWN

GETTING THROUGH

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

- PSALM 46 -

Communication with God is a two-way street. He speaks to us through His Word when we come attentively before Him in prayer and through the clear voice of the indwelling Spirit. He paid a great price to keep the lines open so that we can experience the joy of being still long enough to know that He is God.
The joy of hearing His voice is a call you don't want to miss! - Joe Stowell -

'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' (Jeremiah 33:3)

I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints — but let them not return to folly. (Psalm 85:8)

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
- Miles -

IS GOD GETTING THROUGH TO YOU?

MY PRINCE

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

- EPHESIANS 5:22 - 33 -

How can a husband continue to love his wife in a more princely way? Try these suggestions: Listen - enjoy those tender times when she can unburden her heart without a fear. Love life - find ways to add fun to your marriage. Lead spiritually - guide the way into prayer and intimate fellowship with the Lord.
Men, be a prince to your princess. - Dave Branon -

Honor your wife and in love with her dwell,
Yield to the Savior and all will be well;
Peace He will give to both husband and wife,
Blessing their marriage with joy throughout life.
- Anon -

* MARRIAGE THRIVES IN A CLIMATE OF LOVE AND RESPECT *

WILL WORK FOR FRIENDS

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

- Acts 4: 32-37 -

Through love, let's serve one another - physically and spiritually - in the family of God. - Anne Cetas -

Be not weary in your serving;
Do your best for those in need;
Kindnesses will be rewarded
By the Lord who prompts the deed.
- Anon -

CHRISTIANS STAND STRONG WHEN THEY STAND TOGETHER

QUIET, PLEASE

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

- 1 Kings 19: 1 - 12 -

If we are to hear God speaking to our hearts through His Word, we need to pull away from the noise of the crowd. Only when we learn to be quiet can we really understand what it means to commune with the God who cares for us. In our "quiet time" today, let's make an effort to listen for the voice of God. - Bill Crowder -

Speak, Lord, in the stillness
While I wait on Thee;
Hushed my heart to listen
In expectancy.
- Grimes -

* TO HEAR GOD'S VOICE, TURN DOWN THE WORLD'S VOLUME *

REFUSING HELP

So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."

But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.

Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

2 King 5:9-14

God gave us gifts to aid each other (1 Cor. 12:7). But self-sufficiency shuts the door on much-needed help. Let's be open to the helping hand He provides. - Dennis Fisher -

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Cor 12:7)

The Lord extends His gracious hand
To those in desperate need,
He lifts them up, He helps them stand
Through caring saints and loving deed.
- D. De Haan -

* THE FIRST STEP IN GETTING HELP IS HUMILITY *

CAST YOUR CARES

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

- PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9 -

When you learn to turn your confidence toward God and cast your cares on Him, you can be calm in the midst of life's demands. - David Roper -

I love to dwell upon the thought

That Jesus cares for me,

It matters not what life may bring -

He loves me tenderly.
- Adams -