DECLARATIONS OF ALLEGIANCE

Judges 21:1-Ruth 1:22; John 4:4-42; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 14:25

“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.’”

“Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.’”

“‘Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.”

It always surprises me when and how God finally gets me around to where I need to be. For the last couple of days, I’ve been unable to shake a focus on details, if not outright negatives. It’s a bit of a victory that this even troubled me. Attorneys aren’t exactly trained to look for the good in things or to accept the big picture outlook, and to be honest, neither has ever been my first impulse. Nor do l wish to sound Pollyanna-ish. The serious problems we face demand serious analysis and answers from serious people.

But it is also possible to over analyze things and lose ourselves in the overwhelming minutia of “things needing to be done” or, more basically, “qualities of a righteous person.” There is no freedom in a checklist, and that’s probably why Jesus seldom let Himself get drawn into debates about specific priorities. Anyone who could condense all the Laws of Moses and the teachings of the prophets into two commands has the art of “concept living” down to a science. Being so firmly committed to just those two basic principles gave Jesus the freedom to be much more creative. His perspective was unfettered by considerations of what others thought or how His actions and decisions would play out. As far as Christ was concerned, as long as His allegiances remained squarely within the dual motivations of loving God and loving neighbors, their practical consequences were not something He fretted over.

This finally got me to thinking about my own priorities and allegiances. Two things became immediately clear: 1) I am confusing priorities with allegiances; and 2) I have too many priorities and am too unclear about fundamental allegiances. The Spirit challenges each of us to clarify the latter and cut down on the former. Hopefully, this will focus our energies. At the very least, it should help me better appreciate the relationship between my heart and head and assure my efforts are worth what they accomplish for God. If they don’t accomplish anything for God, perhaps this new perspective on allegiances will give me the courage to stop wasting effort on misguided priorities and let go of the inevitable, associated frustrations.

Dedicated allegiance is a far cry from the simple priority of recognizing and worshiping Christ as Savior. It is especially easy to forget that over the holidays. However, the contrast in Old and New Testament verses today brings the distinction into sharp focus. The Samaritans recognized Jesus as the Messiah, but from what I read, it mattered no more than if they had been admiring a puppy in a window. No one – not even the woman at the well – is recorded as making a commitment to follow Christ. Consequently, it seems a fair assumption that, despite the recognition, Jesus simply passed into and out of their lives without any real effect… just as He does for many of us at Christmas.

Ruth, on the other hand, understood priorities quickly fade when dedicated allegiance is not their foundation. That’s why she declared her allegiance first. How many knelt at the manger and pledged to the Babe that we would go where He goes; live where He lives; and regard His people (meaning everybody) as our people? I did not. That’s a huge pledge. But mainly, I just didn’t think about it. I thought worship (the priority of recognition) was enough for that season. Perhaps it was, but I am now quickly becoming convinced that if that is all I allow Christmas to be, it’s just going to once more fade into pleasant, and impotent, memory.

I need to make a new declaration of allegiance to the Christ as both Lord and Savior and evaluate my priorities based on that. The Psalmist understood any living relationship with God requires both a going forth in His power, and letting the whole world know of our allegiance. If we are reluctant to reprioritize our lives by the standard of an unquestioned allegiance to God, I’m beginning to think our so-called Christianity may not end up being much more than lip service from the eternal perspective.