Pride: The Sin of Independence
Every July 4th we celebrate again the freedom that we have in this country to worship God openly, without government restraint or intervention. Even though we have seen some of our freedoms being eroded away, we still enjoy a great many freedoms that are unknown throughout much of the world. Yet, "we often forget that, in declaring our independence from any earthly power, our forefathers made a forthright declaration of dependence upon Almighty God." The closing words of this document (The Declaration of Independence) solemnly declare: 'With a firm reliance on the protection of Diving Providence (bolding mine), we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.' When this document was drawn up and signed, our forefathers understood clearly at least two sobering truths. First, this liberty they sought wound not come cheaply or without a fight. "Of the fifty-six (who signed the Declaration), few were long to survive. Five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes, from Rhone Island to Charleston, sacked, looted, occupied by the enemy, or burned. Two lost their sons in the army. One has two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six dies in the war, from its hardships or its bullets" (The Rebirth of America). Second, while they were declaring their independence from a repressive earthly power, they were re-affirming their dependence upon almighty God. I believe they understood all too well the tendency of the human hear to fall for the temptation of becoming taken with our self-importance (the essence of pride), which always leads us to act as our own god, making our own decisions, doing things our own way and then taking credit for that which is accomplished.Author
Pastor Bruce is the Executive Director of God's Living Stones. He lives in Omaha, NE, with his wife Barb. They have two adult children.
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