FLY LIKE AN EAGLE IN GOD'S STRENGTH AND POWER

No power or strength exists that is greater than that of God, our Creator and Savior. He is the thermal air current that keeps us from falling, keeps us above the storms of life. We can depend on Him.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES       by Sally Bair

Dependence

When I was in Alaska by the Pacific Ocean, I enjoyed watching the jellyfish. Their gossamer membranes carried them along the tides and effortlessly thrust them upward in a burst of dance or brought them floating downward into the depths. Here in the Northwoods we don’t have jellyfish to watch, but we can enjoy watching bald eagles and hawks in flight. Thermal air currents carry them along even in the midst of storms. Their flight seems as effortless as the shimmer of a leaf in a breeze.

Many of us dream of moving about with such ease and independence. Who hasn't rejoiced, when reaching age 21, in the freedom of belonging only to ourselves?  Even newlyweds, who relish the feeling of belonging to and depending on their new mate, enjoy keeping some of their autonomy and independence.

Actually, no one is totally free of constraints; no one belongs only to himself. All of us, even the most self-sufficient one, must depend on someone else for food, clothing, shelter, for companionship, love, and acceptance. It's our choice to decide on whom we should depend for our needs. Who should guard our house, the neighbor or a security system?  Who should we trust with our secrets, a good friend or the guy down at the local bar?  Can we actually trust anyone for all our needs?

Yes, we need our families, friends, employers, teachers, and government workers to fill many of our needs. In some ways, we all belong to someone. But we know that few of us are totally trustworthy. The truth is, only God is totally trustworthy. And depending on the choices we make, we either belong to Him or to sin. If we choose to belong to God, we gain freedom from sin. That's quite a paradox—freedom by belonging—because belonging implies slavery.

"Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 6:22-23) 

Lord, thank You for the freedom from sin that You offer through the suffering and death of your only Son, Jesus. Help us understand that our freedom comes only through total dependence on You. Help us to move as free as a jellyfish or an eagle in flight as we travel through the depths and storms, depending on You alone. In Jesus' Name, Amen