Obedience Beyond What’s Popular
The Danger of Repeating Things We’ve Never Studied
Today I want to talk about something I don’t think I’ve ever really challenged, studied deeply, or looked at from a different angle. Many times, as Bible students, churchgoers, or people who simply hear scripture taught, we repeat things we’ve heard without ever studying them for ourselves.
And honestly, that’s dangerous.
We can spend years borrowing other people’s understanding while never slowing down long enough to wrestle with what God is actually trying to teach us.
That’s what happened to me when I read this verse of scripture that commands us not to eat anything with blood in it.
Not because that thought was unfamiliar, but because I began to look past the surface and ask a deeper question:
What is God really trying to teach us here?
Now, before I go further, let me say this clearly: this is not about condemning anyone who eats rare meat or meat with blood in it. That’s not my point. My point is much deeper than blood.
Just Because You Want Something Doesn’t Mean It’s Good for You
“But don’t eat the blood,
since the blood is the life,
and you must not eat the life with the meat.” [1]
The first thing that stood out to me was simple: if God had to say, “Don’t eat the blood,” then obviously people wanted to do it. Some people liked it. Some people preferred it. Otherwise, there would’ve been no reason for the instruction.
And that reveals something powerful:
Just because we want something doesn’t mean it’s good for us.
Common thinking struggles with that idea because common people often let appetite determine direction. If they want it, they justify it. If it feels good, they normalize it. If everyone else is doing it, they assume it must be fine.
But God never intends for His people to follow popularity.
Popular is often just another word for normal.
Normal becomes average.
And average usually drifts far away from God’s design.
God is not common. He’s not average. So if we are becoming more like Him, then our thinking, our behavior, and our choices cannot remain common.
What is something you like that God may be saying that thing you like is not good for you?
God Defines Life Differently Than We Do
The next thing that grabbed my attention was this statement:
“…the blood is the life…” [1]
That’s not man’s definition. That’s God’s.
There is something about blood that carries life in a way we still do not fully understand. We know enough medically to survive, but we do not fully understand the depth of what God understands. What we do know is this: when blood leaves the body completely, life leaves with it.
So when God says life is in the blood, He’s teaching us something bigger than biology. He’s revealing that His understanding of life is greater than ours. And mature people learn to trust God even when they don’t fully understand Him.
Common people demand an explanation before obedience.
Uncommon people trust that God sees what they cannot.
God’s Instructions Are Meant to Pull Us Away From Common Living
The common behavior in that culture was consuming meat with blood in it. It was accepted. It was normal. It was what people did.
But scripture exists to pull us away from behaviors the world has normalized. And honestly, this passage is bigger than food. Blood is simply the example. The real principle is this:
Anything God says “don’t do” is connected to our good, whether we immediately recognize it or not.
Most people ignore consequences until consequences show up. They live by phrases like:
- “Everybody does it.”
- “It’s not that serious.”
- “It’s fine.”
But over time, common thinking produces common problems.
The truth is, many of the struggles people experience come from consistently living opposite of God’s design while expecting God-sized outcomes. Then, when life breaks down, people blame God instead of examining their choices.
What’s amazing about God is that He allows us to choose. He doesn’t force obedience. He gives freedom. But freedom also comes with responsibility for the outcome.
And that’s the part people don’t like.
Common vs. Uncommon
Common: Sees something popular and assumes it must be harmless.
Uncommon: Understands that popularity has never been proof of wisdom.
Common: Lets appetite, feelings, and culture determine behavior.
Uncommon: Lets conviction and discipline determine direction.
Common: Questions God’s instructions but rarely questions the crowd.
Uncommon: Questions the crowd before questioning God’s wisdom.
Common: Wants understanding before obedience.
Uncommon: Trusts that obedience often produces understanding later.
Common: Sees boundaries as restrictions.
Uncommon: Understands boundaries are often protection.
One more…
Common: Blames life for outcomes created by repeated poor choices.
Uncommon: Understands that decisions shape direction long before consequences arrive.
The Uncommon Truth
This really isn’t about blood.
It’s about whether we trust that what God says is truly best for our lives.
Because every time we ignore His instructions simply because something feels normal, popular, or accepted, we slowly move ourselves away from the life He intended for us to have.
And in the end, it never turns out well.
So the real question is not whether something is popular.
The real question is this:
Are you willing to become uncommon enough to trust God beyond what’s normal?
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[1] Deuteronomy 12:23 CSB, Bible.com, accessed May 21, 2026, https://www.bible.com/bible/1713/DEU.12.23.CSB
All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.
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