Thought for the Week

Our nation will soon celebrate and commemorate “Independence Day.” I want us to take a look at “dependence” today. By definition, the word means, to be contingent upon, influenced by, controlled by, or reliant upon something or someone. “Independence” would be the opposite. “Interdependence” means to be mutually dependent on one or more others. As a nation, our independence was desired or needed because many of our citizens felt the King of England was a cruel oppressor. There were attempts made to lessen that oppression but to no avail. It was determined we must free ourselves of the king’s dominance. A long, bitter, painful, costly war ensued. Eventually independence, or freedom was gained. Neither dependence nor independence is always a good or a bad thing. We can all cite times and circumstances when it is good to be reliant or influenced by others. It is necessary for children to be dependent on their parents who provide for them a substantial foundation for life. Of course there comes a time, seemingly never soon enough in the minds of the child and most always too soon in the minds of the parent, when a child must exert his independence. In the early days of our denomination, folks brought the need to make major decisions to a church council. The concern would be debated. Eventually a proposed solution or answer was given to the inquirer. In reading our history, such questions as: “Should I buy this farm?” or “Should I marry this individual?” were asked. Today, this seems far-fetched to many. But there was a time when the church was a family and out of love for each and all, concerns were aired to prevent an individual from making a harmful decision that might have long-lasting, painful consequences. Scripture illustrates a number of this kind of questions were asked and answered. The questions were thoroughly debated but more importantly were thoroughly prayed over. This is extremely essential. It is indeed important for people to agree on a solution but God is omniscient, which means, He has absolute knowledge and never makes mistakes. If we seek and find God’s wisdom, life will be far better than it would be if we humans made all the decisions on our own. I lament the fact that the halls of our government, seemingly at all levels are filled with great contention, lack of harmony and much acrimony. Debate is assuredly good, compromise is frequently beneficial but there is an unfortunate lack of seeking God’s wisdom. I’d also mention one wonderful instance of interdependence. The story is in I Samuel chapters 13 through 23. It involves Jonathan, son of King Saul and David, the son of Jesse. These two became kindred spirits. Each had the best interests of their nation at heart. Each was humble. Each was greatly concerned about the best interests of the other. Each was willing to sacrifice for the other, even to the point of giving his life. Such interdependence seemed to be a trait of many patriots during the times of the Revolutionary War. Many men during our foundational history exhibited wonderful character traits. They were men of integrity and humility. They willingly sacrificed for the good of others. But we dare not forget that many were men, and women, of faith in God. They were people of prayer to God as well.

Scriptures to Read

Jeremiah 29:10-14

II Chronicles 7:11-16

James 1:2-8

James 1:12-17

I Samuel 18:1-5

I Samuel 20:12-17

I Samuel 20:35-42