Today is July 4th. Here in the United States of America we are celebrating 239 years as an independent nation and the freedoms that we enjoy in this country. Freedom is something that all Americans believe in, but few understand.
I believe in the freedoms that we enjoy in this country but, as a Christian, how do I balance the practice of these freedoms with the teachings of the Bible. First and foremost, I must recognize that when I became a Christian and surrendered my life to Christ. I became a citizen of heaven, an ambassador for Christ to this country. While I may be serving God in this country, my first and utmost allegiance must be to God's laws. God's laws say that my allegiance will be to Him and Him alone. They say I will honor my parents and that I will not steal anything from anyone, including their life.
Webster's dictionary defines freedom as "the absence of necessity, coercion or constraint in choice or action". Basically, this means that I can choose to do or say anything, whether or not it is necessary and without being forced or feeling that I do not have the right to act or speak.
Many Americans have the idea that their freedoms supersede the rights and freedoms of others. I hear, on almost a daily basis, someone say, "I have the right" or "It is my right". And by definition, they are correct. However, if the person speaking these words is a brother or sister in Christ, then I have to remind them what the Bible says about freedom.
The Bible describes freedom by saying, "All things are lawful (permissible), but not all things are profitable (beneficial). All things are lawful (permissible), but not all things edify (are constructive).(1 Corinthians 10:23)
There may not be a law, whether made be God or man, against something that I desire to do; however. if it does not benefit God's kingdom and his cause or if it leads someone away from God or hinders them in their walk, then I no longer have the right to do it. I Corinthians 8:9 tells me that even though I have the freedom, or right, this freedom should not be allowed to become a stumbling block to others. If, in exercising my freedom, I hurt, offend or damage another's faith or cause them to turn from God then I have become a stumbling block.
Father, help me, today and every day, to remember that this place is not my home. I am only passing through. On my journey through this land, help me to represent you in a way that draws others to you without compromising the standards and values upon which your kingdom is based.
Remind me daily. It's not about me. It's all about You. Thank you, Father, for the privilege of representing you.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Remember How He Led You
You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
-Deuteronomy 8:2
Surely I'm not the only one who has studied the journey of the Israelites from Eygpt to the promised land and questioned how they could forget so quickly everything that God had done for them. He provided water out of a rock, bread and meat from heaven. For forty years, their clothes never wore out. Forty years of walking and their feet never hurt. Yet every time an obstacle arose in their path they murmured. They cried. They complained. They chose to focus on present problems instead of past victories.
At the same time that I question "how could they", I have to stop and ask "how could I". I am just as guilty as the Israelites. The first sign of hardship, the first sign of opposition, the first time things don't go the way I think they should and I start questioning, "Where is God?" I focus on the problem in front of me instead of the way He has brought me through so many times before.
Just as Moses told the Israelites to remember how God had led them the past forty years, I need to remember and focus on how God has led me in the past. I need to remember how he called me to himself, how he has led me through past temptations, struggles and disappointments.
I need to remember because, just like the Israelites, I am journeying through a land that is not my home to a land that God has provided. It is a good land, a land full of every good thing. I land where I will lack nothing. (Deuteronomy 8:7,9)
-Deuteronomy 8:2
Surely I'm not the only one who has studied the journey of the Israelites from Eygpt to the promised land and questioned how they could forget so quickly everything that God had done for them. He provided water out of a rock, bread and meat from heaven. For forty years, their clothes never wore out. Forty years of walking and their feet never hurt. Yet every time an obstacle arose in their path they murmured. They cried. They complained. They chose to focus on present problems instead of past victories.
At the same time that I question "how could they", I have to stop and ask "how could I". I am just as guilty as the Israelites. The first sign of hardship, the first sign of opposition, the first time things don't go the way I think they should and I start questioning, "Where is God?" I focus on the problem in front of me instead of the way He has brought me through so many times before.
Just as Moses told the Israelites to remember how God had led them the past forty years, I need to remember and focus on how God has led me in the past. I need to remember how he called me to himself, how he has led me through past temptations, struggles and disappointments.
I need to remember because, just like the Israelites, I am journeying through a land that is not my home to a land that God has provided. It is a good land, a land full of every good thing. I land where I will lack nothing. (Deuteronomy 8:7,9)
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