July 4th is our national holiday. With the Olympics coming up this year we’ll hear chants of USA, USA and We’re #1. The USA thinks alot of ourselves. Contrast that type of boasting with some Biblical images. As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, said the prophet Ezekiel. He was taking no credit for himself but giving God all the credit. St. Paul wrote, I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Paul’s inabilities are what enabled God to work through him. Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” Those who knew he best wanted to knock him down a peg or two. There is a famous American essay entitled “Self-reliance” as a description of our national trait. The Bible tells us that relying on God and noticing that without God we couldn’t even put two feet on the floor every morning is a much better understanding of reality.
JULY42021
By Church Staff
