Long may she wave – and stand strong

Memorial Day 2023:  The flag of the United States of America always stirs in me the respect for our nation, our freedoms and the sacrifices given that we might have them.  Earlier in April, I was stopped at US 41 and Cochran watching the wind (pretty windy that day) wave the flag across the street.  And I was struck with the following thought:  The wind waves the flag, but the pole remains steady. 

Unfortunately, on this Memorial Day we live in a country where the flag waves and moves according to agendas contrary to Scripture.  Yet the pole upholding the flag remains rooted, steady, and unwavering.  The flag can do no other and the same is true for the pole.  But here is my thought from that afternoon:  I am not advocating that we salute a pole or that we ignore the flag, but that we evaluate our lives in light of the flag and the pole. 

Far too often I hear and talk with other believers who are more like the waving flag than the rock-solid steady pole.  The flag is bright and draws attention, commands respect and had (Biblically) established values behind it.  So are some believers; they now move at the direction of the prevailing wind rather than the values, commands, and design of God.  In a windy culture of change, I believe I will be a pole, not wavering or bending to the wind, but firmly rooted in the concrete (Rock) beneath me. 

And I will pray for, preach for, and work for the day when the only thing waving the flag is the wind.  I will still stand for, salute, and work for what I have understood historically the flag has meant through the centuries.  

Pressing On…

Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor