Galatians 2:20
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is there will be your heart also.” So the question of the day is, “Where is my treasure? I have been blessed to have had parents and grandparents who believed in me and taught me right from wrong...and they have left behind a legacy of loving family...loving America...and loving God.
I am thankful for having those values instilled in me. I value such things as family, friends, peace of mind, American freedom, and freedom to worship as I want to. I believe we would have nothing we value if not for soldiers, farmers, teachers, and preachers. And, even though I have never pledged my allegiance to any of those things or people, I realize I am what I am by the grace of God and the blood, sweat, and tears of good people.
Those of us in church leadership have struggled at times to balance our love for God and our love for America. We struggle in our attempt not to preach politics from the pulpit. At times we have crossed the line that separates church and state. In VBS we lead our children in three pledges: The Pledge to the American Flag...The Pledge to the Christian Flag...and The Pledge to the Bible. And even though we are continuing a long history of instilling American values in our kids, we know that our pledge to America is not as weighted as our pledge to Christ. And, as believers, we understand that, while the pledges to the flags are important, the pledge to the Bible is most important. Because, if not for the Bible, America would have never been.
America became a settlement for those who fled religious persecution from their homeland. The US became a means of escaping the rigors of submitting to a state religion. Some of the early colonies were established as “plantations of religion.” Bible believers fled Europe with the hopes of establishing churches and being free to worship God as they wanted. The Bible was influential not only in America being established...but also in creating the laws that govern her.
So, make no mistake about it....while some of us bleed crimson and white or orange and blue... most of all of us in these United States bleed red, white, and blue. We love America. We love our freedom as Americans. We proudly fly our flags. And we’d rather fight than take a chance on losing our freedoms.
But more than anything, those of us who gather in church houses all over the country pledge our allegiance to Christ. To put it bluntly, we don’t want anybody messing with our religion...don’t try to tell us we can’t read our Bibles or pray whenever we want to. And don’t try to put another man on the same level as Jesus. We believe He’s the only man who ever lived without sin and died and then lived again. We believe His name is above all other names. We believe His death gives life to all who believe. We won’t confess our sins to Mary...or bow the knee to Allah...or pray to Buddah. We believe in Jesus. We believe we are sinners and He is the only Savior. And so, we pledge our allegiance to Him.
When Paul wrote these words in Galatians, I doubt he had his hand over his heart...but I know his heart was in God’s hands. What’s more, he had placed his life in God’s hands. Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
His Funeral. Paul had attended the funeral of his former self on the Damascus Road. Saul of Tarsus died that Day and Paul the Apostle was born. He had died and was now born again. He was a follower of Christ – No turning back.
His Future. He said boldly, “Christ lives in me...” That’s huge. His faith was no longer in a distant God who dwelt in temples, but now in a personal savior who dwelt in believers. We was no longer waiting on a Messiah...He had embraced Jesus as the One and only.
His Faith. His faith and hope was in Christ alone who loved him and died for him...
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb,
with all my strength, with all I am.
I will seek to honor His commands.
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb.
