PARTY LIKE PIGS
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (II Corinthians 3:17)
When farmers leave for the day, pigs start to party, according to agricultural researchers in Reading, England. In an interview in the London Daily Telegraph, Nick Bird of the Farmex firm reported that pigs eat, drink and roughhouse until about midnight before retiring for the evening, at least in buildings that are well lit. Farmex now wants to know whether this has any effect on the supply of bacon (Source: Galen Dalrymple, DayBreaks, 5/04/17).
Now that’s what you call the ultimate “party animals.” I guess “while the man’s away, the pigs will play.” Okay, no more bad jokes. But we can’t help wondering, why do those pigs "get down?" In a word, freedom. Within each heart, exists a longing, an ache to break free from restraints. Evidently this desire is passionate within our four-legged friends as well.
God is all about freedom. II Corinthians 3:17 reads, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Today we celebrate America's freedom as a nation. The U.S. has blessed our planet in so many ways, but perhaps the greatest contribution is freedom. We understand that "freedom isn't free." Our freedom came at a great cost.
But freedom is easily abused. Many view it as the right to do whatever we want. Like partying pigs, we twist this beautiful gift to fit our self-serving purposes. God warns us, "You were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh" (Galatians 5:13). Our natural default is to abuse our freedom to gratify our desires.
Jim Cavezel, who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ observed, "Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom exists, not to do what you like-- but having the right to do what you ought." How true. Unrestrained freedom is leading our nation down a self-destructive path. Let’s rejoice in our freedom in Christ and the liberty we enjoy as a nation. But let’s use it wisely. Otherwise we turn into partying pigs.
What specific freedom do I most revere as an American?
How can I avoid lapsing into the “partying pig” syndrome?”
Lord, thank you for the freedoms we are blessed with. May we always live in gratitude.