Common

1 Peter 2:11  Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in this world, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

When I first sit down at Starbucks I sip gently on my hot chocolate with whipped cream.  See if you sip the whipped cream with a little hot chocolate cooled by the cream, you can enjoy it without scorching your tongue.  But today, I got too much hot chocolate too fast and you know what happened.  My tongue now has that tingly burnt feeling. 

This week I attended a parenting seminar by Al Menconi.  He said this, that which is Common becomes Acceptable, once Acceptable it becomes Normal.  Peter writes in verse 11 as aliens and strangers in this world, abstain from sinful desires.  Often in the world sins are common and then they don’t seem so bad when “everyone else is doing it” so we accept them, before we know it they are the norm and they seem fine . . . . until they turn around and “scorch your tongue”.  Then you are left with that “tingly burnt feeling”.  Thankfully we have a God who forgives and heals and takes the burn away.

Dear God, you are the Savior of the World, nothing shocks you, nothing takes you by surprise.  I pray that your ways will be my ways and I will accept nothing that is outside of you.