I spent part of this July 4 morning reading through Isaiah 66 as part of my regular Bible reading plan, and it is quite an epic ending to the book and a fitting chapter to read on such a day.
Independence Day is a great day. It is a great day because we are responding to a great event that took place in history and has huge implications across the globe.
But it pales in comparison to the good news of the Gospel.
Just as Americans across the globe celebrate an historic event that has changed our lives, Christians the world over celebrate the biggest event of history–Jesus–who has truly changed out lives.
Independence Day is not a day to fight for independence through our own efforts, but a day to celebrate the independence we already have bought with the lives of others and a day to spread the “good news” of independence in places where there are those who are not free.
The gospel is not something that we do, but a message to respond to with celebration and an urgent joy to spread this good news to those who have not heard it.
May our joy for temporal independence be dwarfed by our joy for true freedom to be spread to all the nations.
For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.
“For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord.
“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Isaiah 66:18-24 (ESV)
1 Comment
July 9, 2009 at 7:37 am
SPACE PANTS!