Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today, Americans celebrate their independence. One of the guiding documents to that independence is the Preamble to the Constitution. It says…

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Reading this made me contemplate what would be a fitting Preamble for Christians.

Romans 6:6‭-‬11 (NLT), which declares our freedom from the power of sin came to mind…

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

Another candidate that outlines what our new lives in Christ should look like is Colossians 3:12‭-‬17 (NLT)…

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Yet another good scripture is Ephesians 4:2‭-‬6 (NLT), which emphasizes unity in the Spirit…

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

The fact is, there are a number of scriptures that set the expectation of how we as Christians should live. And the truth is the entire BIBLE, our Biblical Instructions Before Leaving Earth, is the Christian’s Constitution for life, as explained in 2 Timothy 3:16-17

But if I had to settle on just one that sets the tone of the entire BIBLE, I think I would use 1 John 4:7‭-‬13 (NLT)…

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.

You see like the Colossians 3 passage says…
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Our perfect union with God is declared by our harmonious love for one another.

On this Independence Day, Jesus’ declaration is that the world will know we are His by our love! He said…

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” – John 13:34‭-‬35 NLT

Love others…

• Because Jesus loved you
• Like Jesus loved you
• As living proof of Jesus’ love

Contrary to the independence that the world celebrates, Christians are wholly dependent and declared by God’s Love!

Love is God’s declaration to those who depend on Him! (Psalms 103:11)

While searching for God’s love declaration, I discovered something mind blowing about God’s love 🤯. His love isn’t reciprocal, it’s cascading. I found that in John 15:9‭-‬10 (NLT), where Jesus said…
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”

Love obeys and then relays…

Make today, and everyday a declaration of God’s unfailing & unconditional love.

Obediently share the love God’s given you, through Christ, with others. Share it as if your life depended on it, because it does!

Today’s song is…
They’ll Know We Are Christians (We Are One)

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)