July! The month of Independence Day! We celebrate and commemorate our declaration of independence from the tyranny of the king of England on July 4th. What a bold move that was to make such a declaration and follow it up with a courageous battle for freedom. We, as a nation born that day, must give our heartfelt thanks to our predecessors for waging war on our behalf. To this very day we enjoy the freedoms that they sought and sacrificed for.
Independence is a wonderful thing! When we are young, we can’t wait until we are old enough to be independent and on our own. Truly accepted as an adult, setting our own path, making our own decisions, without somebody doing it for us. (What were we thinking?) We grow up, get to pay our own bills, must work to do so, and cook, clean, mow, rake, shovel, etc. Who knew that being an adult came with so much baggage?
Our freedom is that we get to do these things according to how we want to live. We can decide what value there is in what we do and how we live. Independence, or free will, comes at a cost. We must determine what price we are going to pay for it. If we want to pay our bills, we need to work to earn money to do so. If we want to eat, we must earn enough to pay for the meal. Freedom really isn’t free!
The same is true in our spiritual life. God has granted us free will to choose how we want to live. We can work towards fulfilling His will or ours. To work for His will means giving of ourselves to others, spending time with scripture, attending church, praying, repenting, seeking His forgiveness, and spreading the Gospel. Working for our own will can either include these things or exclude these things. If we work for His will, we benefit eternally. If we only work for our own will, sin, desperation, and following the whims and wants of the flesh, we turn away from God and in the end we will pay for it.
Let us take a moment right now and pray to our Father in the name of Jesus, and seek His guidance, help, and strength. Let us ask for mercy and forgiveness for those times we have chosen our way over His. Let us ask for our independence to be free from sin, and not from God. Let us make God-minded decisions, instead of sinful ones.
May God bless you all, and our great free nation!
Pastor Gerry