Here in the United States, Tuesday is our nation’s 248th birthday, and as Christians, we have the opportunity to reflect on our birth and life as a nation. As Englishman G. K. Chesterton rightly said, “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed.”
And what is that creed that is distinctive? It is the eloquent, profound, and simple statement penned by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.
Certainly, our nation is now in a major battle for the soul of our country, a battle that is shared by other nations around the world. There are secular and other forces eroding and diluting our memory of, and commitment to, the biblical principles that once dominated western culture.
But as Christians, it is important to remember our Christian heritage, and to work for the advancement of it. Guided by Scripture, we can serve our God by serving our country well, and we can serve our country well by serving our God.
President Ronald Reagan, who was devoted to our Christian heritage and the faith on which it was founded, once wrote: “The day of our nation’s birth in that little hall in Philadelphia, [was] a day on which debate had raged for hours. The men gathered there were honorable men hard-pressed by a king who had flouted the very laws they were willing to obey. Even so, to sign the Declaration of Independence was such an irretrievable act that the walls resounded with the words “treason, the gallows, the headsman’s axe.”
Benjamin Franklin said, as he prepared to sign the Declaration, “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we will all hang separately.”
Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that men, woman and families are born with certain God-given rights. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should.”
When the fireworks go off in celebration of our Independence Day, let them remind us to be grateful to God for the freedom and opportunity we have in our country. And let them remind us to be grateful to the men and women of our armed services who serve this country tirelessly to protect those freedoms. But also, let them remind us that freedom on this earth, while indeed so very precious, is nothing compared to the spiritual freedom which we have forever in Jesus. His work in the hearts of humanity is what brings true freedom.
Let your celebration transcend the 4th of July, to include a celebration of your freedom in Christ.
Happy 4th of July from Intentional Intimacy Ministries
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