Richard Roberts – First of four parts
We are never free enough to escape community. If you hurt, I also hurt. I am inextricably tied to you. Jesus said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me’ (Matthew 25:40). What I do has an effect upon you. We hear some people say, “I want to be absolutely free.” There is no such thing.
When America was young, if there was a problem in a little town, one group would just take their group and go to the next valley and start a new town. Now, our globe has seemingly gotten smaller and we are hemmed in by one another, never free enough to escape community. So, it’s time we stopped talking about freedom and start talking about responsibility.
We are never free enough to get away from our choices. Freedom requires that we choose and then live with the consequences. There is no such thing as indecision. An employer said to his employee, “Do you have trouble making up your mind?” He answered, “Well, yes and no.” It’s like the Civil War soldier who wore a grey coat and blue pants. He got shot in the front and the back. You have to live with the choices that you make in life.
It’s time we start talking about integrity and character, righteousness and holiness, without which the Bible says we will never see God. We have a responsibility to our community. We need to be involved in the schools. We need to be involved not only in our local church, but also in what’s happening in our government. We need to get involved with our neighbors and be a help and not a hindrance.