It’s paradoxical that we’re approaching another celebration of freedom and the birth of our nation while many are sounding like the only freedom that matters is the freedom to avoid birth by brutally eliminating the life of the very ones about to be born. It is, indeed, a time when what it means to be free is being challenged in ways we never imagined, but it’s also a time when we can pause a moment and reflect on some things that might help inspire some hope. One of the ways to do that, oddly enough, might be to reflect on the spiritual implications of a practice I was introduced to in the early years of my life.  

A Family Principle ~
There was a principle around our house that seemed to touch everything in our lives, from the way we handled our money to leftover food. Whether it was a chicken drumstick or a piece of string, the rule was always, “Don’t waste it.” Trying to get the most out of whatever we had was ingrained in us, and the more valuable the resource or commodity involved, the more vital it was not to waste it. And by the way, it’s a practice that Jesus was also in favor of. The Gospel writers were careful to point it out in reference to the miraculous feeding of the multitudes.  John records it this way:

Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” (John 6:10–12 NKJV)

As the impact of inflation escalates and the shadow of an economic recession looms over us, looking for ways to conserve our resources and get the most out of what we have is becoming more than a philosophical approach. For many, if not most of us, it’s becoming a mandatory survival mechanism. Families don’t want to waste trips to town, more leftovers are getting recycled, and purchases are more likely to be preceded by the question, “Do I really need that?” For those not used to thinking like that, the adjustments can be especially challenging, but the end result can be beneficial in lots of ways, especially if we apply the same principles to how we handle our spiritual resources. 

Unacknowledged Resources ~
Our consumerist culture is used to discarding everything once we’re tired of it, or if it seems a bit worn, or something trendier has made an appearance. We throw away enough food to feed another nation and rarely think about it, but some of those patterns may be about to change – and I think Jesus would approve. I’m convinced that His concern about not wasting the uneaten fish and bread would extend to the other valuable resources He has allowed us to acquire. We may not tend to think about our spiritual capacities as resources God has given us and for which He will eventually hold us accountable, but it might be helpful to look at a few of them from that perspective.

Love, for instance, is one of those qualities we take for granted. We don’t consider where the capacity came from, what the term really means, or what it was intended to accomplish. We take a primary characteristic of the God who created us and turn it into something perverted, depraved, and destructive. Love is the most powerful force for good outside of God Himself and we waste it. None of us wants to know how much time, energy, money, and other resources we have thrown away loving things God said not to love. A couple of directives stand out with profound clarity:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15 NKJV)

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30–31 NKJV)

Misdirected Trust ~
Faith is another God-given capacity with potential that exceeds anything we can imagine. Faith provides an access to a personal relationship with the Son of God and a life that will never end. Beyond that, faith opens doors to opportunities and accomplishments that would be impossible without it. Yet we tend to shy away from the kinds of things that generate and strengthen faith, like personal time absorbing truth in the Word of God and time invested in personal communion with the Father Himself. Instead we waste this incredible capacity by choosing to direct our capacity to trust and believe toward government agencies, TV personalities, self-proclaimed experts, or simply ourselves. Jesus repeatedly demonstrated that believing in Him could open doors to impossible things: 

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23 NKJV)

When so many are feeling anxious and despondent, the amazing power of hope can be seen in ways that we might not otherwise notice. The application of hope can avert suicide. It can revitalize relationships, and it can re-energize bodies and minds that have given up. Hope can recapture the present and transform the future, but not if it’s wasted on empty philosophies, phony assertions, and toxic ideas. Those who reject Jesus Christ and waste their capacity to hope on such things are left with no hope at all.

… that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12 NKJV)

Liberty — Not License ~
There are many other astounding resources that we must be careful not to waste, but in light of our nation’s Independence Day, we must not overlook freedom itself. It’s a concept that has brought more peace, prosperity, genuine justice, and happiness into the world than any other approach to life. In spite of that, we are surrounded by multitudes of people who have wasted the idea by turning it into some kind of personal license to indulge their flesh in any way they choose. God’s idea of freedom is not permission to engage in any kind of behavior regardless of the consequences. It is an invitation to have life, liberty, and happiness within a righteous framework of protective principles authorized by the One who gave everything for our redemption. 

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1 NKJV)

 As we gather to celebrate our nation’s independence this July 4th and reflect on the multitude of benefits we’ve enjoyed as its citizens, may God help us to see them as priceless treasures not to be wasted. And may we endeavor to live them out as He intended so that they emerge afresh as the powerful source of good that they are.

Jesus saw the food that remained when the feast was over as strength and provision that hadn’t yet been applied. With freedoms, opportunities, and God-given rights being thrown away like yesterday’s leftovers, may God help us to realize that there is power we haven’t begun to apply. And may we all remember the love that provided what we didn’t deserve.  May our hearts be inflamed with an invincible determination to devote every resource we’ve been given to ensure that nothing be lost.

~ HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY 2022! ~

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • “Love is one of those qualities we take for granted. We take a primary characteristic of the God who created us and turn it into something perverted, depraved, and destructive. Love is the most powerful force for good outside of God Himself and we waste it.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • “Faith provides an access to a personal relationship with the Son of God and a life that will never end. Beyond that, faith opens doors to opportunities and accomplishments that would be impossible without it.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
  • “The application of hope can avert suicide, revitalize relationships and re-energize bodies and minds that gave up. It can recapture the present and transform the future if it’s not wasted on empty philosophies, phony assertions and toxic ideas.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
  • “Freedom is a concept that has brought more peace, prosperity, genuine justice, and happiness into the world than any other approach to life. ” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
  • “God’s idea of freedom is not permission to engage in any kind of behavior regardless of the consequences. It is an invitation to have life, liberty, and happiness within a righteous framework of protective principles.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 

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