I hope you have all had a wonderful 4th of July. We are so glad we can celebrate this time of independence. Our nation can celebrate not only its freedom of speech, but is freedom of religion….being able to meet together and share the love of Jesus Christ and what he has done for us.
We are free because men and women laid down their lives and paid a price for our freedom here in the United States. Yet, how many of us have thought about the price that was paid for our spiritual freedom…the price that was paid on the cross so that we might be set free?
Most of us are celebrating our independence, but I wonder how many of us are celebrating our dependence? There is an utter dependence upon Christ for everything. We often don’t think of it that way, but think about it. How many of us this last weekend enjoyed sitting down at a meal or a cookout with family and friends? I can just see you now enjoying that corn on the cob…all that butter dripping off the edges and can tell you are enjoying every bite! How many of you realize that we are dependent upon something else in order to enjoy that corn?
First…we are dependent upon God to produce the rain and sun so that crops could even grow. Because it has to be in the right environment for the corn to turn out just right. Then, we have to have farmers who are willing to work diligently every morning or night to bring in the harvest. Finally…we have truck drivers across the country who are bringing corn from different locations to our supermarkets. Oh and then, the store managers who are putting the corn out in a way that it would be eye catching for all of us to purchase. Then, you have people who go and purchase that corn…and shuck it. Maybe family or friends help do this and cook the corn. So, it takes a dependence upon many others for you to have enjoyed that one piece (or many pieces) of corn.
When we think of dependence, we often think of it in a negative sense. But dependence can be a very good and healthy thing. Because our lives are not our own. They were bought with a price.
So this week, celebrate not only your independence, but your dependence on God! We bless you and we love you!
Blessings,
Pastor Mark