I’ve been thinking…
Being a Christian is counter intuitive!
First a definition of what I mean when I say counter
intuitive. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary
defines “intuitive” as, “quick and ready insight.” And I’ve been thinking that, after all these
years of being a Christian, there is nothing intuitive about living the life of
a believer in Jesus.
Take for example the fact that a Christian is born again
into a brand new life. But, to live that
life every believer must die to themselves.
(Galatians 2:19,20)
To gain increase, we must give sacrificially. (Luke 6:38) To lead, we’re called upon to serve. (Luke
22:25,26 ) To win the victory, we’re told to stand and watch God win the battle
on our behalf. (2 Chronicles 20:15,17)
When we suffer, we need to rejoice.
When our enemies hate us, we are to love them. (Luke 6:27,35) None of these actions make “common sense”...
They are counter, or in the opposite direction from, what makes a “quick and
ready insight.” You could say that the
Christian life makes “uncommon sense.” This
only figures since God is such an uncommon person.
Think about that.
There is nothing at all common about Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit isn’t a common
individual. And the Father? Well, try using common sense when figuring
out the Trinity, His creation, or, for that matter, why He loved us even while
we were His enemy. (Romans 5:8-10) He
just doesn’t make sense. He is counter
intuitive.
When God has a plan for Abraham to build a great nation, He
doesn’t tell Abraham to start having as many kids as possible. No! He
tells Abraham to wait for one child.
Then, after years of waiting, Isaac is born and God instructs Abraham to
go up on a mountain and offer him as a sacrifice. Now that is counter intuitive. Yet, Abraham doesn’t use common sense. Abraham says to his servants, “We are going
up to the mountain and we will return.” (Genesis 22:1-5) In his faith in God’s promise Abraham goes
against his common sense and knows that if God asks him to kill the child of
that promise, God will cause some miracle to bring that child back to
life. Counter intuitive? That’s a giant, Yes!
In this time of empirical reason when man only wants to
believe what he can see, touch, and measure, for us to turn over the control of
our dreams, thoughts, and actions to this unseen, untouchable, and completely
immeasurable Savior? (John 20:28,29) It’s counter intuitive for sure. But that’s exactly what a counter intuitive
God wants from you and me. To walk in a
lifestyle pleasing to Him, we’ve got to follow His will and instructions not
our own understanding or “quick and ready insights”…
We need a “renewing of our mind.” (Romans 12:1,2 Ephesians 4:22-24) Depending on my “old-life” thought processes
will run me into an intuitive dead end.
We’ve got to breakout and by faith obey all these things mentioned above
and trust that God will prove himself faithful. (1 Thessalonians 5:24) He is fully capable of defending His own
instructions for living. And that’s even
counter intuitive!
Think about it.
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