January 14, 2009
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I Pledge Allegiance
To whom do I owe my allegiance? That is the question we all face everyday. In this country, we still have the choice. Is it right for a Christian to claim allegiance to his native land ( in our case, America)? Is it right to be faithful to a cause or a political party? Is our marital fidelity a statement of allegiance to our spouse or to our marriage commitment? What about honoring our parents? What about our allegiance to a labor union or to our employer?
There are so many levels of commitments and loyalties that we subconsciously observe in our lives that we seldom even recognize them as allegiances. Some Christian groups or sects regard any allegiance – even ones that are widely recognized as proper, such as allegiance to one’s country as being idolatrous and therefore forbidden by God.
I believe that putting Christ first is right and proper for all Christians, but that does not mean that other allegiances are not allowable for us. How we list others in order of importance can vary according to the place they have in our hearts and lives just so long as they are not first. Sometimes we are criticized by others for the importance we attach to each of these allegiances because they do not see things in the same way we do. And sometimes we find that we have attached too much importance to one thing when we should have not ignored another.
I love my country, my wife, my children and honor those in my church, my job. etc. All of these. But I love the Lord Jesus Christ and step aside to allow Him to have His rightful place as the highest priority and most beloved of all the loves of my life.
How is it with you?