A is for Allegiance

Here it is the end of the week and I finally have time to sit down and write a post for this new challenge I am participating in. Have you ever tried to blog through the alphabet? I have done ABC photo challenges (in fact I am still participating in the one), but I have never tried writing blog posts focusing on all the letters of the alphabet. I foresee it will be quite a challenge, but one I am eager to try out. Though linking up at the end of the week on the first week isn't a great sign. That said, if you would like to try out this challenge, Marcy from Ben and Me is accepting submissions for this week's letter A until tomorrow.

A is for Allegiance

We pledge allegiance to the flag during our "circle time" on school days. We also pledge allegiance to the Bible.  I grew up reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and thought it was extremely important to make sure the children knew it. I then discovered there was a pledge to the Bible (I had never heard of it growing up) and thought it would be a great addition to our "circle time."  We had gotten into the habit of reciting the pledge to the flag and then moving on to the pledge to the Bible.  Unfortunately this habit has been hard to break. 

You may be wondering why I say it is unfortunate. Well, I realized that our first allegiance should be to God, not to a flag or our country. In my old church I don't even think they believed in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. In Philippians 3:20 it states, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. "  Personally, I still think we should have some sense of patriotism for our country, but it should never come before our allegiance to our Lord and Savior. So, I tried to reverse the order in which we said the pledges. However, the children have been so used to the original order, plus we add the song "The B-I-B-L-E" after the Pledge to the Bible, that the change in order wasn't working. 

As I write this, I realize that it is not the order of the pledges that is the most vital in our lives. It is how we actually live our lives, making sure we are first focused on God and His Word, that will make a difference.

So, what comes to your mind when you here the word "allegiance"?

I have to admit, besides the pledges, one of the first thing that popped into my mind was the song, "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb" by Ray Boltz. I love this song! I remember going down to the Free Methodist church in the town where I was living 17 or 18 years ago and watching the very powerful and moving video. Would I have the strength to face arrest, torture and even death to remain faithful to my Lord and Savior?

I don't know if you have ever heard of this song before; I do realize it is quite old now that I think of it. It was one of my favorite songs on Ray Boltz's album entitled "Allegiance." Of course, it was the first as well, seeing as I had never heard of him before. 

The video shows scenes of the cost that people paid for following Jesus, from Bible times, to medieval times, to modern times and into the possible future. Here are the words:

I Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb 

Words and music by Ray Boltz

CHORUS:
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb
With all my strength
With all I am
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb

I have heard how Christians long ago
Were brought before a tyrants throne
They were told that he
Would spare their lives
If they would renounce
The name of Christ
But one by one they chose to die
The Son of God, they would not deny
Like a great angelic choir sings
I can almost hear their voices ring

CHORUS

Now the years have come
And the years have gone
And the cause of Jesus still goes on
Now our time has come
To count the cost
To reject this world
To embrace the Cross

And one by one let us live our lives
For the One who died to give us life
Till the trumpet sounds on the final day
Let us proudly stand and boldly say

CHORUS

To the Lamb of God who bore my pain
Who took my place
Who wore my shame
I will seek to honor His commands
I pledge allegiance to the Lamb

CHORUS (repeat)

1994 Word MusicASCAP (a div. of Word, Inc.) and Shepherd Boy MusicASCAP (adm. by Word, Inc.).

This song still gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes, even without watching the video.

With Resurrection Sunday only a week away, I think it is a wonderful time to renew our Allegiance to our Lord and Savior and to realize the power of His sacrifice.  Where does your allegiance lie?