COMMON

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

 

I was with my buddy Bekah yesterday in downtown Columbus .  We were enjoying our walk from a meeting back to the car when we passed an old church that sits parallel to the State House.  We were a little ahead of schedule, the doors were open and Bekah remarked she loved looking at old ornate churches.

This was certainly one of them.

The bells were playing.

Prayer was happening.

It was a lovely setting.

So we walked on in.

 

So as Bekah “toured a little” I milled around the vestibule and found this little quote on the wall. 

This was an EPISCOPALIAN Church and on their wall was this little “pledge” if you will…

 

This church had committed to:

…know the COMMON story 

…proclaim our COMMON faith

…pray our common prayer

…to drink the common cup

…and to SERVE the common good.

 

But here was the kicker.  All of this was to be done…

In the name of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ – this is our COMMON ministry.

 

I love the use of the word COMMON because it exemplifies the LIFE we are to emulate, the life that CHRIST assumed.  He was of common birth, lived a commoner’s life and even died a commoner’s death ALL for the COMMON GOOD.

 

Let Christ himself be your example as to what YOUR ATTITUDE should be. For he, who had always been God by nature, DID NOT CLING to his prerogatives as God’s equal, but stripped himself of all privilege by consenting to be a SERVANT by nature and being born as mortal man. And, having become man, he HUMBLED himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a COMMON criminal. – Philippians 2:5 (PH)

 

Jesus cared about “the common” (me and you).  He flourished in simplicity; embraced HUMILITY.

 I think we could quickly apply some of those phrases today in our efforts to EMULATE CHRIST don’t you?

 

We can proclaim the common story can’t we? –

“Love GOD, love others”?

 

What about SERVING the common good as Christ did?

“Let us practice the fine art of making every work a priestly ministration. Let us believe that God is in all our SIMPLE deeds and learn to find Him there.”

― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

 

My encouragement today is certainly COMMON . 

Engage your servant’s heart. 

Serve another in love.  Find a place to impact the “common good” all in the NAME of our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ.

 

The result will be most “uncommon” I am sure.

 

I love you all

Freedom Church (Champions Network)