It’s all about freedom.
In 2015 Reba McEntire, country music artist, star of the Reba television show, and actress appearing in 11 films, separated from Narvel Blackstock, her manager and husband of 26 years.
They worked together 35 years, were married for most of that, and built a history, a good one. Both are widely respected. So, what went wrong?
Everyone likes freedom. No one wants to be chained down. And it’s not just relationships. That McMansion we’re so proud of? It eats up our time in maintenance. Our successful business? We spend our weeknights and weekends to keep it functioning smoothly.
Sometimes we want out. Let me free!
What do we call marriage, that old ball and chain? Our house is a responsibility; and our job, we reluctantly accept the reality that only the lucky can do without one of those.
We want to throw off the chains, calling it divorce, downsizing, or retirement. Yet, in our spiritual lives, we choose to keep ourselves chained.
What? Oh, no. Hold on there. Our Christianity is about freedom in Jesus. Even Paul said, “In Christ all things are permissible.” What’s that if not freedom?
Look to 1 Kings 7:16-17:
“He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. There were lattices of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars, a lattice for the one capital and a lattice for the other capital.”
How do we make a chain? We intertwine threads until they are crossed and recrossed, one over the other, building them into a restraint that cannot be broken.
The two pillars are Jachin and Boaz, for we are established in God and find our strength in him. The chain work is the interwoven fellowship of the church of Christ. When we link ourselves to each other through prayer and faith in our Lord, we link ourselves to the Rock who is our salvation.
The world may cry for freedom, but the church needs the chain of our fellow believers to keep us strong in our walk with Jesus. Only then are we affixed firmly to the Rock of Ages, our hope and salvation in all that comes our way.
We can’t discount anyone who walks at our side. Every link in a chain is the most important link; if even one fails, the entire chain becomes a worthless pile of parts.
Christianity isn’t about freedom. It’s about giving up our freedom so that we can become chained to our Savior and King.
Copyright © 2016 MyChurchNotes.net
Originally posted in Relationships on 3-23-16