Last weekend I noticed a boy from my church wearing a ring made out of duck tape on his finger. I asked him about it. He said that the ring is more than just a cool use for duck tape. The boy explained that he wore the ring as a reminder of his promises to God to not do bad things. I stopped for a minute and thought that was cool idea. But as I talked with the young man, I saw how we have allowed the devil to frame the situation. The enemy has subtly worked his way into the modern Christian worldview just like he tried to do in the Garden of Eden with Eve. The devil wants us to be focused on what we can't do instead of all the liberty that we have as a Christian. Satan wants us to think that we are in bondage when in reality it is the other way around.
The devil likes us to view God as a grumpy taskmaster who always seems to set unfair limits and is somehow holding out on us. He wants us to focuse on the rules so much that we lose the joy of being in relationship with the living, loving God of the universe.
Should we fear God and seek to obey His commands? Sure! Should we try to avoid doing bad things? You bet. But should our view of God be dominated by what we can't do or what we can do?
Maybe, the boy should have a second ring. It could symbolize the authority of being a child of God and the new life that we find in living like Jesus.
Jesus said that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him and He sent us forth with a mission. We are to reclaim creation for the Father, bring life to death, set the captive free, give the hungry something to eat, and do all things for the glory of God. What if we wore signet rings symbolizing our authority and position as children of the King? What if we went beyond just the normal promise ring, to a possibilities ring? It could be a ring that symbolizes God's promises to us and His work in us.
Instead of two rings, we could wear one ring that captures all of this. It could serve a reminder of who we are in Jesus and who we were without Him. The ring could be tarnished by the grime of life and sin, which would detract from the reputation of God's royal family. But as we let God polish it, the ring proclams the eternal truth of God's promises and remind us of our responsibility to live up to our calling as a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.
It makes me sad that much of modern Christianity has reduced following God to a bunch of rules, ceremonies and things to avoid. Intstead, we should recognize that the Christian life is the best life full of freedom, divine authority, adventure and perilous journey. We can all be knights in God's army if we will only have the faith to belive in us as much as God does.
