Today's Devotional
December 5, 2006
Subject: Hating The Free
Galatians 4:23 - "But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise."
Galatians 4:29 - "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now."
While people fight, argue and discuss the implications of a war on terror and while many Americans try to figure out "why they hate us," what if the simple answer is in fact this scripture from the word of God. What if it boils down to the issue that countries with heavy Christian populations are at war in this world, with countries with other beliefs. Statistically I'm sure that this is probably the case. I argued this point one day with my brother, a local politician, who argued that it had to be something we did as Americans. While that point is arguable, I think the evidence for my belief is also quite arguable. They really could hate us simply because we are free.
While we fight within our own country to maintain our Judeo-Christian beliefs as a society, much of the terror world still sees us as a Christian country, something I became quite familiar with in Iraq. In Christianity, where Jesus is the object of worship, there is liberty. This is the liberty that he who was born after the bondwoman continues to fight against.
I ended up telling my brother that I believe that in the end, we will one day see that it was really all about Jesus. The flesh and the Spirit have always been at war with each other. So it is now.
