More Bucks for the Bang / The Best Kind of Freedom
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Going straight to the Cross
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What kind of fireworks will you set off or watch
today?
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COLUMN:
More Bucks for the Bang
by Tim Hall
Driving to my destination, I cross the county
line. The county I have just entered has no
ordinances prohibiting the sale of fireworks.
Every mile or so a tent had been erected to take
advantage of the few days on which fireworks can
be legally sold.
It has been many years since I've visited such a
stand, but I hear that demand for pyrotechnics
runs high during this patriotic time of the year.
I don't know what current prices are, but I
imagine most of the fireworks are not cheap.
Adding to my reluctance to shop is the short
duration of the pleasure; in just a few moments,
all the enjoyment has gone up in smoke.
As I drive past the tents stocked with Roman
candles and bottle rockets, I wonder how much I
could buy for $9, and how long the show would
last. I chose that $9 figure for a reason; in the
back of my car is a 50-pound bag of rice I
purchased for that amount. The rice will be given
to a family of refugees who have just come from a
strife-torn country in Africa. The family,
thankful to be in a safer place, will struggle for
awhile. But that much rice will help feed them for
several days.
There is nothing inherently sinful about spending
one's money on fireworks. But sometimes I wonder
what such purchases say about the way we view our
possessions and our stewardship. "It's my money!
I'll spend it however I wish." Do such statements
come from hearts touched by God's grace? Is there
compassion for the needs of others behind
declarations like that?
James speaks clearly about the use of our
possessions: "What does it profit, my brethren, if
someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is
naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you
says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and
filled,' but you do not give them the things which
are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus
also faith by itself, if it does not have works,
is dead" (James 2:14-17, New King James Version).
John makes the same point: "But whoever has this
world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and
shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of
God abide in him?" (1 John 3:17)
How does the love of God abide in me?
God has not commanded us to strip all pleasure
from our lives. There's no inherent sin when we
stop at the local fireworks stand to make a
purchase. What we must ask, however, is this: Is
this our usual pattern of stewardship? Do we also
seek to imitate the Lord in using our blessings to
bless those around us who are in greater need?
Just after dark on July 4th, I plan to be outside
watching the city's fireworks display from my
front yard. Like others around me, I'll be going
"Oooh" and "Ahhh". But deeper down in my heart,
I'll be savoring a more enjoyable sensation: the
good feeling that comes when I pass along a little
bit of the rich grace that God has shed upon me.
That's the "bang" I'll enjoy most (and longest)!
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Today is a holiday for some, a celebration for
others.
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EDITORIAL
The Best Kind of Freedom
by J. Randal Matheny
Americans today celebrate 127 years of political
freedom. One organization which measures freedom
in countries around the world claims that more
people enjoy greater liberties today than at any
other time in history, in part because of
Americans' efforts at home and abroad.
Every nation which enjoys some degree of freedom
does well to commemorate and remember the
responsibilities of citizenship.
Though Americans celebrate July 4th in a unique
way, the moment serves to remind us all,
regardless of nationality,
(1) That Christian values make good government. As
Patrick Henry said, "It cannot be emphasized too
strongly or too often that this great nation was
founded, not by religionists, but by Christians;
not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus
Christ!" The old saw is still true that "America
is great because America is good." Remove the
goodness, and the greatness will tumble. This is
true, not only of the USA, but of any country that
would adopt Christian principles.
(2) That Christians make good citizens. Social and
economic progress and political stability are
served by the qualities of honesty, thrift, hard
work, and integrity. Christians also understand
true justice. As an example, slavery in England
and the USA was abolished because of people who
insisted upon the Christian truth that all people
are created equal.
(3) That Christian faith thrives in any social or
political climate. One does not need democracy, as
we know it, to live in Christ nor to preach the
gospel. As thankful as we may be for the
democratic process, the Way was born under foreign
domination and spread throughout an Empire, under
diverse and often harsh conditions.
(4) That Christian freedom in the Lord Jesus
Christ is eternal. Nations rise and fall, freedoms
wax and wane, political systems come into vogue
and disappear, but "[i]t was for freedom that
Christ set us free" (Gal. 5:1 NASU). The phrase
"for freedom," according to Kenneth Boles,
"emphasizes the permanency of the new status" and,
as J.W. McGarvey notes, indicates "the very design
that we should cherish and enjoy our freedom."*
Indeed, in Christ we are set from sin and its
consequences to enjoy the wonderful, full, and
lasting liberty of relationship with God. Such
freedom is a daily celebration and causes constant
gratitude.
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*Kenneth L. Boles, Galatians & Ephesians, The
College Press NIV Commentary, p. 123; J. W.
McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton, Thessalonians,
Corinthians, Galatians and Romans, p. 279.
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