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By Rev Don Rivers
With the Fourth of July on the horizon it reminds us of our independence. Have you ever wondered; are we really independent? Do we think we can make it on our own? Do we think the decisions we make only affect us? How many of us live our lives without realizing how the decisions we make affect others. Every life is dependent on someone. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We are not truly independent? I think if we look at history what happened on Independence Day, a group of people banded together and relied on each other for the strength to declare their independence from British rule. What does it take to be independent? You must divorce yourself from everyone and everything. In the society we live in we have a term for that type of person, a loner. I am not sure that is how God created us to be.
Last week I talked about pursuits and quoted from the Declaration of Independence. Let’s continue on with the next couple of lines and see if that helps us with our understanding of independence.
“…That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
The key word is people, not an individual, but the people. We declare our independence as a group of people, not individuals. To take that a step further, the common view held today that I can do what I want is not the foundation this country was built on. We have drifted away from the understanding that we serve one another to maintain the freedoms we enjoy. While we have individual rights they should be exercised for the common good.
There are only a few things in life we do alone, most everything we do we do with someone else. God designed the family in that way. When members of a family focus on their own interests instead of the needs of the family there is stress, strain and destruction.
Look at our race teams. How many of us could race without a team? I don’t think there is one of us who could. You would at least need a gopher. Take a look around the shop and the pit area. Write a list of all the things that need to be done. There is no way anyone could go it alone.
Look at our lives. How many of us spend our time completely alone? We don’t. We spend it with family and/or friends. If we don’t have any we go out and look for some. We spend a large part of our time searching for people to be with. I think we are people who enjoy being around other people.
We surround ourselves with people. We enjoy their company. We cannot live without it. One of the secrets to life is our interdependence on each other. The Body of Christ, those who belong to Christ through the acceptance of His sacrifice, is made up of people who depend on each other.
1 Corinthians 12:12-20; The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
Our lives are enhanced when we share them with others. When we work together, we can build a life that reflects the love that God has for each of us. The question might be asked, how does this affect me? How does my life affect those around me? Am I a functioning part of the body or do I need some physical therapy to straighten things out?
Let me suggest first looking around at the people you spend your time with. Do you add or subtract from the relationship? Are people better for knowing you or do they run the other way when they see you coming? Do people seek you out when they need help for support in their lives?
Jesus lived a life as an example for us. People sought Him out because they knew their life would be better if they listened to Him. If you examine Scripture no one who sought Jesus out was turned away. It didn’t matter what their social or economic situation was, Jesus made time for them. In Scripture we learn that when people came face to face with the living God they never left the same way they came. Jesus changed them both spiritually and physically.
We must ask ourselves, do people see Jesus in us? If they do, they will seek us out when their lives are not what they should be. It is in this process where we become interdependent. Our lives depend on those around us and their lives depend on us. So much is riding on the way we live; we should live in a way that is right. Paul writes in Philippians 2:5 that our attitude should be the same as Jesus.
That is a great goal, but most of us fall short. We give in to our selfish desires and put the concerns of others secondary to what we want. To overcome this we need to be accountable to someone. Who are you accountable to? Find yourself a faithful friend, one you can trust. One who cares enough about you to tell you the truth. With such a friend you can improve your walk tremendously. We will succeed more than we fail. And when we fail we will have someone there to stand beside us and help us get back on track.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10,12; “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! …. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
It is good to be dependent on someone and have someone depend on you. It is the basis on which strong fulfilling lives are built. Build your life on the foundation that will not only help you, but will help those who depend on you. Learn to depend on God, he will enable you to be dependable.
Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.
