Yesterday, the world witnessed the inauguration of America’s 47th president. Depending on your political beliefs, that transfer of power may have caused you to feel worried and skeptical or more confident and hopeful. Either way, we all still have the freedom to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As Christians, we understand and accept that only our Creator can grant these inalienable rights. The rights and privileges He grants are always for our good.
We can trust God’s offer of LIFE over death so we can enjoy living in His presence forever. We accept His authority, power, and leadership because He is the King of kings.
We can gratefully accept that Jesus offers us the LIBERTY to make mistakes and still be covered in His grace. In an instant, our faith can proclaim Him to be not only the Lord of lords but OUR Lord of lords.
We can access the power of the Holy Spirit to fuel our pursuit of humility, comfort, gentleness, mercy, purity, peace, and righteousness. This transfer from our power to His fosters an abundance of HAPPINESS. (Matthew 5:1-10) Still, it’s easy to resist the transition. We would much rather champion our own causes, pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, and lobby for complete control.
Jesus said, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.†(Galatians 5:1a) While I love America immensely, America has not granted me true freedom. Our most enduring freedom comes from Jesus. You’ve no doubt heard that great freedom comes with great responsibility. Staying diligently and consistently connected to God, the One who has promised to preserve, protect, and defend us, calms our spirits when we lose our meager control, break our brittle bootstraps, and feel like chumps rather than champions. It’s in God we trust.
Oh, that there would come a day when all God’s children could walk hand in hand, spreading the message of freedom in Christ! Then, and only then, would we be seen as one family under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Could that ever be possible? I’m learning that the impossible is what God does best!
Could we allow freedom to ring in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and friends’ ears? Could we ring freedom’s bell in our schools? Are we motivated enough by God’s love to let freedom ring in our families? Are we courageous enough to let freedom ring in our churches?
I have a dream that all God’s children will stop playing pretend and simply walk their talk.
I dream that one day, Jesus-believing Christians from every tribe and nation will loosen their grip on their traditions and walk hand in hand in love and respect.
But I have a bigger dream …
that the transfer of power begins with me.
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.†(1 Timothy 2:1-6a NLT)
