Independence
Today is Sunday, July 4th, Independence Day. On this day we celebrate our nation’s independence. May I suggest that we take a moment to reflect on personal independence?
Independence Every human being needs to be independent, at least to some degree. (Those who are too dependent on others are children, regardless of their age.) Having said that, it is imperative to note that it is possible to be too independent! We also need to be dependent. Perhaps, we need a national holiday to recognize and remember our dependence.
Dependence Every human being needs to be dependent. We need to be dependent on the Lord for eternal life. Some think, “I’ll be good,” or “I’ll do good things.” If you are so independent that you think you can make it without Him, you are too independent.
According to the Bible, all have sinned (Rom. 3:23) and the penalty for sin is death (Rom. 6:23), that is, separation from God. The glorious Good News is that Jesus Christ died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin (Rom. 5:8). The simple spiritual reality is that people cannot work their way to heaven (Rom. 4:2). All they can do is trust Jesus Christ for the gift of eternal life (Jn. 3:16). The only way anyone can make it to heaven is by being dependent on Jesus Christ for the gift of eternal life.
Some ingenious soul decided that he would get in an important game by printing his own ticket. He did not make it. Likewise, some think that they will get to heaven by making their own ticket. They will not make it. You must have a ticket printed by God. It says “Jesus died for me.”
We also need to be dependent on the Lord to live life (Gal. 2:20). As I often say, “The Lord is never going to let you get to the place where you don’t need Him.” We need a Statue of Dependence on the West Coast to balance the Statue of “Independence” on the East Coast.
Interdependence We also need to be interdependent on each other. God never intended for individuals to live on an island by themselves. In fact, when God Himself created a paradise called the Garden of Eden and put a single soul in it, His own estimation was, “This is not good” (Gen. 2:18) and He immediately placed a companion in the Garden so that it could really be paradise.
We need each other. We need to be interdependent on each other. If for nothing else, we need to be interdependent on one another for encouragement (Heb. 10:25).
So, on this Independence Day remember, granted that in a sense we need to be personally independent, but we also need to be dependent on the Lord and interdependent on each other. By the way, we do have a holiday to celebrate dependence and interdependence. It is called “Sunday.” Did you go to church today?
© G. Michael Cocoris 7/4/2004
Independence Every human being needs to be independent, at least to some degree. (Those who are too dependent on others are children, regardless of their age.) Having said that, it is imperative to note that it is possible to be too independent! We also need to be dependent. Perhaps, we need a national holiday to recognize and remember our dependence.
Dependence Every human being needs to be dependent. We need to be dependent on the Lord for eternal life. Some think, “I’ll be good,” or “I’ll do good things.” If you are so independent that you think you can make it without Him, you are too independent.
According to the Bible, all have sinned (Rom. 3:23) and the penalty for sin is death (Rom. 6:23), that is, separation from God. The glorious Good News is that Jesus Christ died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin (Rom. 5:8). The simple spiritual reality is that people cannot work their way to heaven (Rom. 4:2). All they can do is trust Jesus Christ for the gift of eternal life (Jn. 3:16). The only way anyone can make it to heaven is by being dependent on Jesus Christ for the gift of eternal life.
Some ingenious soul decided that he would get in an important game by printing his own ticket. He did not make it. Likewise, some think that they will get to heaven by making their own ticket. They will not make it. You must have a ticket printed by God. It says “Jesus died for me.”
We also need to be dependent on the Lord to live life (Gal. 2:20). As I often say, “The Lord is never going to let you get to the place where you don’t need Him.” We need a Statue of Dependence on the West Coast to balance the Statue of “Independence” on the East Coast.
Interdependence We also need to be interdependent on each other. God never intended for individuals to live on an island by themselves. In fact, when God Himself created a paradise called the Garden of Eden and put a single soul in it, His own estimation was, “This is not good” (Gen. 2:18) and He immediately placed a companion in the Garden so that it could really be paradise.
We need each other. We need to be interdependent on each other. If for nothing else, we need to be interdependent on one another for encouragement (Heb. 10:25).
So, on this Independence Day remember, granted that in a sense we need to be personally independent, but we also need to be dependent on the Lord and interdependent on each other. By the way, we do have a holiday to celebrate dependence and interdependence. It is called “Sunday.” Did you go to church today?
© G. Michael Cocoris 7/4/2004