Daily Devotionals

Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life

Devotional: December 22nd

"When in the course of Human Events…" begins one of the documents that has framed the course of this nation of the United States of America. When the Declaration of Independence was penned that phrase explained what was to follow as the reasons for our decision to separate from Mother England. It was those "human events." They were comprised of a string of events that both happened to and were brought about by the humans here in the new world.

Funny thing about human events; they are unpredictable. They happen at the worst possible time and can have the most damaging results. Sometimes they're intentional and sometimes they're totally by accident. But they happen. That is the whole point. Whenever humans get up and get going about their daily lives, human events happen. Not just in 1776 but also today. As was the case for the new country here as they were bugged with their allegiance, so it is for people today with their allegiances.

In 1776 we were tired of serving a power that only wanted to drain our country of its wealth without giving us some sort of say as to why and what. As a result of that action long ago, people are currently expressing their allegiance to the U. S. A. at outposts all over the world and doing so in dramatic fashion. Meanwhile, we do the same here in our daily lives of operating the economy and strengthening our families. But what about some of the other human events?

What about the human event of sin? Nasty word, sin. It conveys the concept of personal misdeed whether intentional or otherwise. It is a human event. It is both done by humans and done to humans. But why? It is all a matter of allegiance. Whoever we claim as Master of our lives by our choice of human events perpetuates those events until we choose a new Master and serve Him. Sadly, but also gratefully, there are only two choices. Satan, the automatic one that comes with simply being human, and God, that takes a conscious decision to make the change.

"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." Romans 6:16-18 In God you and I are free from the "human events" of sin. Due to our allegiance to Him we now do the "human events" of love and good works.