Pledging Your Allegiance Must Be More Than Words

My Utmost For His Highest

 

…they went forth for His name’s sake… —3 John 7

 

“Our Lord told us how our love for Him is to exhibit itself when He asked, “Do you love Me?” (John 21:17). And then He said, “Feed My sheep.” In effect, He said, “Identify yourself with My interests in other people,” not, “Identify Me with your interests in other people.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 shows us the characteristics of this love— it is actually the love of God expressing itself. The true test of my love for Jesus is a very practical one, and all the rest is sentimental talk. Faithfulness to Jesus Christ is the supernatural work of redemption that has been performed in me by the Holy Spirit— “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit…” (Romans 5:5). […] The key to the [Christians] devotion is that he is attached to nothing and to no one except our Lord Himself. It does not mean simply being detached from the external things surrounding us. […]  to concentrate on keeping his soul completely and continually open to the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. ….  ordinary human people, but people who are controlled by their devotion to Him, which has been brought about through the work of the Holy Spirit.”  CHAMBERS

 

When I was in grade school, each morning the class would say the pledge of allegiance to the United States.  Not so much anymore.  Today we have become more accommodating of people with other allegiances.  The true test of allegiance, which is another word for devotion, is how the life is lived and not what words are said.  And so it is with the Christian life.  Jesus asks us the same question that He asked Peter.  “Do you love Me?”  Judas followed Jesus for three years and then betrayed Him.  What was up with that? Well, a lot actually, but that is for another time.  The point is that saying the pledge of allegiance doesn’t make you faithful to your country.  It is a question of the heart.  Are you willing to take the next step .. to lay down your life for your country?  For what you say you believe in. (John 15:13) “No greater love has one man than this, that he lay down his life”  (for what he loves). 

 

If we have “pledged our allegiance” to God, then we love God with all of our heart .. there is not room for anything else.  And that love is expressed toward others.  (1 John 4:19) “We love because God first loved us.”  Jesus was essentially saying to Peter .. “If you love Me then love My sheep”. Peter would later discover that it was not just Jewish sheep, but Gentile sheep as well.  God demands complete devotion with the expectation that our devotion to Him will be expressed to others.  Sometimes at great personal sacrifice.  Like the rich young ruler, (Luke 18:18-23) we cannot make up our own heavenly rules.  Design our own path to purity and heaven.  Jesus is saying, give up your devotion to everything except me … offer yourself as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) and follow Him … wherever that leads.  ELGIN