I know what you’re thinking — this is just another “rah-rah sis-boom-bah,” flag-waving article about the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence. You would be wrong. What I am reflecting on is that July 4, 1976, is my personal Independence Day, the day I surrendered my life to my Lord Jesus Christ.

Surrender doesn’t come easy to a battle-hardened Marine, and surprisingly, I gave up very little — but I did get rid of a lot of junk that was crushing my spirit. After walking with the Lord for 50 years, fumbling and stumbling, with heartaches and joy unspeakable, I’ve learned a few things I believe are worth sharing.

First, read the Word of God on a regular basis. I learned early on to have a reading plan that takes me through the Bible by the end of every year. A daily reading plan is not hard. The more you know about God’s Word, the better prepared you will be for life. Your faith will grow (see Romans 10:17) as you learn about God’s promises, His ways, His wisdom, and how He has a special life plan just for you.

Second, embrace God’s plan for your life. It will save you unnecessary heartache and help you avoid some (but not all) of the hard knocks in life. More importantly, it is God’s will for you to find true fulfillment, purpose, and fullness of joy in life. Serving yourself will only bring emptiness, but serving God is what He created you for.

Third, embrace community with the people of God. He created us for relationships, and our spiritual family is quite often closer to us than our biological family. God wants to develop the fruit of the Spirit in your life (Galatians 5:22-23), and He does that through relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. How do I learn patience, compassion, gentleness, and a host of other things aside from living in community with my brothers and sisters in Christ? I rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, and I become a better Christian as a result. Most importantly, it pleases the heart of my Heavenly Father.

Our Founding Fathers saw the divine hand of Providence in our nation’s struggle for independence. Fifty years ago on this July 4th, I also observed the divine hand of Providence orchestrating the path of my life, bringing me to a place of true freedom in Christ.

“So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36, ESV)

If you are also free in Christ, I urge you to consider these life lessons learned over a half-century of seeking and serving. May you embrace them more quickly and more fully than I did so that your life brings a hundredfold harvest for the Kingdom of God!

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!