What was it originally? Freedom of religion, freedom from religion, freedom to religion, or freedom to create our own religion? What has the Great American Dream become? What is a dream anyway?
I’ve been saddened to hear the messages from the pulpit in general lately that I’ve been hearing, except for yesterday. I listened to a man that I had never heard before preach a message on being real with oneself. “Quit lying to yourself about your situation, get real with God and Be Made Whole.” The message was one that compelled us to get real with ourselves about our realities: the things that live deep within us and most often that we ignore. The truth that most of us seek a religion for selfish gain and purposes. Rather than being a Christian to serve our God and have a deep relationship with Him, we serve Him because of what He can do for us, give us, spoil us with; a cheap bribe if you will allow me to be so candid. We all do what we do because of what we can get out of it. Pure selfish intent. When was the last time you wanted something so badly, for someone else, knowing it wouldn’t benefit you at all?
How often do we see the newly engaged lady sporting around her diamond, showing everyone that will look, what he gave her, what he took time out to find and then use his hard earned money to purchase or worse, sign his good name on the dotted line of debt, only to eventually call him a loser because five years down the road when the economy turned he lost his job, no one is hiring, and he hasn’t been able to buy her another one, or rather out-do the first one with a new better version. She needs another one you know, the first one’s newness wore off and now it’s time to satisfied her “needs” once more.
That’s exactly what the church has become, a complaining woman who forgot that she committed to be there for Him no matter what; in sickness, in health, for richer, for poorer. The truth is surfacing about how her commitment was only conditional based upon her fantasy that life would always be a bed of roses, always allowing her to spend money on whatever her heart desires. I mean, after all, the scripture says:
Psa 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Unfortunately, the bride is only ‘happy’ if she’s spoiled. Remove the bling and all there is left is a hateful, manipulative woman who is full of selfishness. She cries out “Pray for me, please pray for me! I need God to intervene! My stuff is gone! I need to take back what the devil stole from me!” and dances around the front of the church, putting on a worship dance which is nothing more than a fleshly display of begging. All the while, God is trying to show her the hidden, secret things of her heart. If she had a first love, it’s long gone and the true desires of her heart lie in the pit of selfishness. God has to take away her ‘stuff’ so that she can see that she has nothing once it’s gone, nothingness exists in selfishness. The one thing that she had hoped to purchase: unconditional love, security, warmth, is completely missing because she lost her relationship with the Guy she fell in love with. She followed after the creation trying to fill the void rather than the Creator, the Truth, the Life, the Way to True fulfillment.
Our nation was founded on the right to exercise religion without force. England was forcing religious principles down the throats of their constituents and some “rebellious” people decided to leave, holding onto the right to worship their God without being forced, which after all, is one of the most profound, yet simple principles of the Bible – free will. God has given every soul free will. Although He is most powerful to overstep the rule, it is one that He set and if He set it, no man or woman has authority to overthrow it. The whole point of this “create humans and see what they chose” thing we call existence, is based upon the principle of free will, free choice, to have or not to have a relationship with God and enjoy or suffer the consequences thereof. The bottom line is relationship and ones true commitment to it.
The American Dream was based upon the free choice to have a relationship with God. While these particular people probably never thought that their could be other gods that man would attempt to serve, they nevertheless founded this nation on free will religion, the right to serve and live in existence under God as they chose to do according to their commitment to Him. The Original American Dream was to live in a location, free of forcefulness, to have a relationship with God and exercise the free will choice to think, breathe, and live in God. Today, the American Dream is completely materialistic: a house with a white picket fence, a car, and two and half children. Where did we go wrong? It breaks my heart to know that much of the church has misinterpreted God’s goodness in giving as the relationship itself. It’s the equivalent of the lady who owns the diamond to believe that relationship lies within the diamond, not the heart of the giver. We call that type of woman a ‘gold-digger.’ It’s sad to say but something that I believe is the truth: the bride has become a gold-digger.
What is the real motive at work here? The diamond was supposed to be a representation of His love to her, His never ending commitment to her and her acceptance of that ring, signified her reciprocated commitment. Is she committed only for as long as He continues to provide luxury or is she committed even though her lights may be turned off, she holds the attitude that we’ll make it through this together as long as we work together and communicate and continue to love each other. Love is a commitment, not a temporal feeling.
These economic times are putting the bride of Christ to the test. Are you only happy when He’s paying your bills or does His presence and glory in the middle of an empty kitchen flood your soul with peace and joy? If He doesn’t pay your bill on time, do you love Him still? God’s deepest desire is to have a real relationship with His bride, each of us, individually, of our own free will and no matter how times get hard, for Him to know that we are in this for the long term no matter how rough the journey gets.
What is your dream? The Great American Dream of materialism as it has become or the Original American Dream, A Free Will Offering of your Commitment and Dedication to a Deep Relationship with Him?
