Today we celebrate our great Nation's independence. By "independent" we mean that the United States of America is free from outside control. We are not depending on another's authority. We associate great freedom with our independence.
In our society "dependence" has become a four letter word. We are supposed to be self-sufficient - not depending on anyone or anything. We talk, in negative terms, of dependence on drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and co-dependence on each other. We go to counseling in order to be free from our dependence.
What if there was a form of dependence that could be liberating and life-giving? What then?
I believe that dependence on God can be liberating....
Instead of having to try to strive, and earn, and perform for the applause of God and others, I know that only Jesus was perfect. This, for me, is liberating.
Since Jesus was perfect FOR me, I can now walk in FREEDOM!
Because Jesus was perfect, I don't have to be...PRAISE!
He did it all. He paid the price. He satisfied the Law and therefore I am set free to live life to the full. I can now walk in freedom.
I also believe that dependence on God can be life-giving...
The more we depend on Him, the more we lean in and utterly rely on Him for our every breath, we find the abundant source of life that comes from abiding in Him. We, in essence, tap into His life source.
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you have fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15: 4-5)
A living union with Christ is absolutely necessary; without it there is NOTHING.
I believe my highest and most difficult calling is to raise my children to be independent of me, but totally dependent on their Creator. In that abiding dependence is the most liberating life source one can find.
I'll end this post with one of my favorite passages from the book entitled "Abide In Christ":
"Abiding in Him is not a work that we have to do as the condition for enjoying this salvation, but a consenting to let him do all for us, and in us, and through us. It is a work He does for us - the fruit and the power of His redeeming love. Our part is simply to yield, to trust, and to wait for what He has engaged to perform."
May you have a wonderful Independence Day while growing in dependence and reliance upon the One who loves you beyond words and wants to give you life to the full.
Be blessed...
ps.
Left on his own, this little boy who was destitute, despairing, disillusioned, hopeless, and angry, may have been a ripe recruit for extremists.
Instead, he found his way to a school supported by Redeemer Christian Foundation, Inc. and is finding love, and hope, and peace in learning about Jesus' great love for him...
