Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Fourth of July....
Cookouts, fireworks, family gatherings, parades...
A celebration of Independence as a nation.
Freedom.
Funny how it has all changed over the years...this thing about being free.
Freedom now seems to mean the right to do whatever you feel like doing (to some degree). I mean you can't kill someone and then claim that you had the freedom to do it. But the very thread and core of freedom has been eroded by sin. Ah Michael....why'd you bring up that "Sin" thing? Because it is a very evil cancer that eats at true freedom.
I remember years ago watching a talk show that John Cleese was a guest on.
It was on the Fourth of July, and the host of the show, knowing that Cleese was British, asked him, "So...do you celebrate Independence Day?" Tongue in cheek, John turned to him and said..."No...we celebrate dependence day."
Sin tells us that we are dependent on no one, when it comes to our decisions. That we have the right to run our own lives as we see fit. Good in theory..bad in practice. Looks good on a t-shirt, but will wind you up in places you didn't even know existed if left to run its own course. In fact, the very basis for sin is the selfish act of being independent. In Genesis 3, we see this conversation going on between the serpent and the woman, Eve. A little friendly banter between the two uncovers a lie that is still a blight on humanity to this day. The serpent informs the woman that God has been holding out on her. He has some info that He hasn't been forthright in telling. The serpent whispers to the woman..."God knows that in the day you eat of the fruit your eyes will be opened and You Will Be Like God!" In other words..."Here honey...eat this and you can be the master of your own life. You'll be independent." That is the very heart of sin. Being independent from God.
Me? Every day in the Bynum household is "dependence day!" We recognize God as our source for everything we need. Not just material possessions but our very lives are a gift from God. I like the way Paul says it in II Corinthians 3:5 - "And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God."
On this day, more than any other, we should bow our heads and realize that the only reason this great nation we call America exists is because Almighty God of heaven ordained it and blessed it. Has He lost control of this nation? No. He has simply let people have the desire of their hearts when they turn away from Him. America....Bless God!
Happy Dependence Day!!
God on you....
mb
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