ADVENT DAY 13 (I Am Part of God's Family): Free To Practice

We have been invited to become part of God's family - humanity was once estranged from God because of sin, but now we have been declared to be heirs of God through Jesus. Galatians 4 reinforces that idea:
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

The fullness of time - at the time determined by God, He chose to send Jesus into the world.  The Scriptures were plain about the love of God for His people and the sending of the Messiah, our Redeemer, into the world.  Jesus came into this world; out of His great love, He left His throne in heaven to humble Himself as a servant.  Now, He is seated again at the right hand of God the Father and we are seated with Him.  We are His children, we are His family.

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Because of what Jesus has done for us through His death and resurrection, we are now part of His family; we are called children of God. Here on Day 13 of our 25-day spiritual "Advent-ure" from the Faith Radio Advent Guide, we are exploring the theme: "I am part of God's family." Romans chapter 8 says:
"15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

The school district in Prague, Oklahoma, received one of those letters recently - you know, the kind that is sent by an atheist group out of Wisconsin that monitors religious expression it doesn't like.  The Freedom from Religion Foundation.  Well, apparently, the school board put an end to prayers that were broadcast to classrooms in the system. The state school superintendent Ryan Walters, according to Faithwire, declared that "people of faith will never be bullied." The website noted:

State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ remarks were made after Prague Public Schools, a district in his state, halted daily prayer broadcasts over school-run loudspeakers after a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist activist group, KOKH-TV reported.

Rather than comply or agree with atheists’ demands, Walters took a defiant tone. He called the FFRF a “radical atheist group” and said his state has no plans of “bowing down to these bullies.”

“We’re going to continue to fight for religious liberty and religious freedom here in the state of Oklahoma,” Walters said, claiming the group has targeted children who wish to initiate prayer in the Prague Public Schools. “It’s outrageous. We have to take a stand for our students’ freedom of religion, their freedom to express their religious beliefs, no matter what those religious beliefs may be.”

The article notes that: "Walters’ response came after a FFRF complaint reportedly led the Prague Elementary School to stop morning prayers purportedly shared during announcements on the loudspeaker."  The school district immediately caved to FFRF's request.

Last week, according to The Daily Caller, Walters announced that Oklahoma would be withdrawing from the American Library Association; the website reported:

“We are removing any and all references to ALA in our library standards,” Walters told the Caller in a statement on the American Library Association (ALA).

“Under the guise of promoting libraries, ALA is another organization dedicated to indoctrination. This year, ALA issued guidance that would end a Christian publishing company from hosting events at public libraries, they have promoted drag-oriented ‘reading’ events in schools, and the new president of the ALA self-identifies as Marxist.”

“Oklahomans don’t want themselves—or their children—to be subjected to this left-wing propaganda.”

An article on the NBCNews.com website a few months ago stated:

Since Ryan Walters was sworn in as Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction in January, he’s called for prayer in public schools and hanging the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

He’s adopted regulations prohibiting school libraries from circulating books with “sexualized content” and requiring educators to tell parents if their child changes their gender identity.

The article also notes:

In June, Walters helped approve the nation’s first religious charter school, an online Catholic school that is currently facing litigation from civil liberties groups trying to stop it from opening. He said in a video he recorded in his car that it was important that “churches aren’t oppressed by government and are given the freedom to grow.”

Faithwire also states that, "Gentner Drummond, Oklahoma’s attorney general...has spoken against spending tax dollars on the school, saying, 'Forcing Oklahomans to fund religious teaching is a violation of their religious liberty.'”

The article goes on to say:

Walters also endorsed a proposal presented to him by a group of pastors and right-wing activists to hold a minute of silence for prayer in all public schools and to require a framed copy of the Ten Commandments in all classrooms. Walters, who has said he believes separation of church and state is a “myth” created by liberals, has not yet announced how or when he intends to propose these changes.

That was as of late August. But, Walters has certainly, during his first year of office, acquired a reputation for ensuring religious freedom - not establishing religion, but protecting the rights of students to freely exercise it, as the Constitution provides for.  

Ryan Walters provides a great reminder for all of us: if you are part of a family of God, if you are a born-again believer in Jesus, then your actions should line up with who you say you are - and who God says you are!  He is a staunch defender of freedom of religion, and has used the position he has in public office to actually do something about it. Unfortunately, politicians seem so ready to be associated with Christian things and tout their religious credentials, perhaps even get involved in a local church.  But, isn't it frustrating to elect people whom you think are aligned with you ideologically and spiritually who get into office and do not uphold those values?   We can do better, and Ryan Walters in Oklahoma reminds us of how someone should be living out his or her faith in the sphere to which God has called that person.

But, it's easy to examine the shortcomings of others. We should prioritize evaluating our own behavior - we should be more intent on, rather than just merely making it through the day, ruling the day; seizing the day!  God has given us today as a gift and tomorrow isn't guaranteed here on this earth. We have been brought into God's family, we are called by His name.  Our new nomenclature should determine the nature of our practice.  We can rightly defend our freedom of religion; but we need to be very mindful of how we are to steward it, to act as children of God, in contrast with those who would pursue the ways of this world.