of God in our lives. James 1 says:
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
In Matthew 7, Jesus gives us some insight into the benevolence of our Heavenly Father:
11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
This Fourth of July week is a great opportunity to reflect on the goodness of God extended toward the United States of America - this nation was built on a foundation consistent with Biblical principles, and while the path has not been perfect, certainly there has been a significant current of God's hand upon our nation. And, living in America has given us a strong degree of freedom to practice our faith. While we relish what God has done in our country, we also can be challenged to give Him praise for how we have seen Him work in our individual lives, and never take that for granted. Spiritually, He has saved us, delivered us, and is sanctifying us. And, we can take the time to praise Him for the blessings that we have seen Him express toward us.
In Psalm 33, we see verses that point to the strength of the Lord and His desire for nations to follow
Him:
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
13 The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.
14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.
16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
Yes, it is Friday; and that may be a little challenging to wrap your mind around, since we had a Tuesday holiday - that might mean you've had a 3-day work week, or just taken the whole week off to do a little travelling or work around the house.
Traveling was definitely the order of the day for Beth and me, as last week we were in Cincinnati for the CBA event, then journeyed to eastern Pennsylvania, and finally a trip through the Shenandoah Valley. We woke up on the fourth of July in Knoxville, put on our appropriate attire, and enjoyed the Independence Day parade in the suburb of Farragut, where units ranging from a huge balloon-clad float representing a local church to a display from the Andy Griffith Watchers chapter, which included two old-style police cars. The goodies were a-plenty, including the obligatory candy for the kids, plus popsicles, frisbees, and...here's a new parade favor: AA batteries from a local battery store - hey, why not be practical. There was plenty of red, while, and blue and community spirit to go around, with a number approaching 100 units lined up.
That local church to which I referred definitely saw the event as an outreach, handing out bottled water, popsicles, and information on their church. I commend them for being friendly and inviting, seeing the setting as an opportunity to let others know about their church.
The Fourth of July is a consummate day of celebration. I fondly remember the fireworks that we saw as we travelled Monday night to our hotel in Virginia, near a university named for one of our Founding Fathers. And, there were fireworks displays across the fruited plain, from sea to shining sea. This captures just a bit of the spirit conveyed by John Adams to his wife, Abigail, as he wrote that "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America." He continued:
Adams also said this:“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
That is taken from this year's annual Hobby Lobby full page ad. It features the first sentence of Psalm 33 prominently displayed, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." If you want to see how some of the Founding Fathers viewed the hand of God in the life of our nation, you can check it out! Here are some other excerpts from it:
From George Washington: “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
James Madison said: “Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe.”
And, Thomas Jefferson said, “And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
Oh, and Adams said July 2nd should be celebrated. The National Constitution Center states:
But, the concept of freedom, as it has been pursued throughout the years, is certainly not free, as it has been said. So many have given their lives to attain that freedom and still others have laid down their lives to protect and maintain it. We can thank God for those who have and continue to sacrifice so that we can enjoy this uniquely American way of life.
But, we do well to heed the words of Adams, the one who said that our independence should be a cause for celebration - he said the Constitution was made for a "moral and religious people." If we strip the morality and practice of faith from our land, then that could lead to chaos. Adams recognized this. We are seeing the moral authority of the Constitution being questioned and challenged. A Supreme Court has "discovered" rights to terminate the lives of unborn babies in the womb and made up a so-called "right" to same-sex marriage. Those are cornerstone principles that have been violated and led to all sorts of destruction. In an age in which people are challenging the time-honored traditions rooted in a strong faith in God, we do well to continue to set a Godly example, strengthened by His Spirit.
+++++
In Psalm 33, we see verses that point to the strength of the Lord and His desire for nations to follow
Him:
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
13 The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.
14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.
16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
Yes, it is Friday; and that may be a little challenging to wrap your mind around, since we had a Tuesday holiday - that might mean you've had a 3-day work week, or just taken the whole week off to do a little travelling or work around the house.
Traveling was definitely the order of the day for Beth and me, as last week we were in Cincinnati for the CBA event, then journeyed to eastern Pennsylvania, and finally a trip through the Shenandoah Valley. We woke up on the fourth of July in Knoxville, put on our appropriate attire, and enjoyed the Independence Day parade in the suburb of Farragut, where units ranging from a huge balloon-clad float representing a local church to a display from the Andy Griffith Watchers chapter, which included two old-style police cars. The goodies were a-plenty, including the obligatory candy for the kids, plus popsicles, frisbees, and...here's a new parade favor: AA batteries from a local battery store - hey, why not be practical. There was plenty of red, while, and blue and community spirit to go around, with a number approaching 100 units lined up.
That local church to which I referred definitely saw the event as an outreach, handing out bottled water, popsicles, and information on their church. I commend them for being friendly and inviting, seeing the setting as an opportunity to let others know about their church.
The Fourth of July is a consummate day of celebration. I fondly remember the fireworks that we saw as we travelled Monday night to our hotel in Virginia, near a university named for one of our Founding Fathers. And, there were fireworks displays across the fruited plain, from sea to shining sea. This captures just a bit of the spirit conveyed by John Adams to his wife, Abigail, as he wrote that "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America." He continued:
I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.That was taken from the Massachusetts Historical Society website.
Adams also said this:“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
That is taken from this year's annual Hobby Lobby full page ad. It features the first sentence of Psalm 33 prominently displayed, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." If you want to see how some of the Founding Fathers viewed the hand of God in the life of our nation, you can check it out! Here are some other excerpts from it:
From George Washington: “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
James Madison said: “Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe.”
And, Thomas Jefferson said, “And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
Oh, and Adams said July 2nd should be celebrated. The National Constitution Center states:
After voting on independence on July 2, the Continental Congress needed to draft a document explaining the move to the public. It had been proposed in draft form by the Committee of Five (John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson) and it took two days for the Congress to agree on the edits.
Once the Congress approved the actual Declaration on Independence document on July 4, it ordered that it be sent to a printer named John Dunlap. About 200 copies of the Dunlap Broadside were printed, with John Hancock’s name printed at the bottom. Today, 26 copies remain.
That is why the Declaration has the words, “IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776,” at its top, because that is the day the approved last version was signed in Philadelphia.I think about the free stuff that was being handed out at the Fourth of July parade. The kids loved the candy and popsicles; I thought the batteries were a rather practical idea. The church saw it as an outreach, so that people might come and experience the gift of life. But, there are far greater gifts that God has given to us. We are blessed to live in this nation, where we can by and large practice our faith, where we can pursue God's dream for us.
But, the concept of freedom, as it has been pursued throughout the years, is certainly not free, as it has been said. So many have given their lives to attain that freedom and still others have laid down their lives to protect and maintain it. We can thank God for those who have and continue to sacrifice so that we can enjoy this uniquely American way of life.
But, we do well to heed the words of Adams, the one who said that our independence should be a cause for celebration - he said the Constitution was made for a "moral and religious people." If we strip the morality and practice of faith from our land, then that could lead to chaos. Adams recognized this. We are seeing the moral authority of the Constitution being questioned and challenged. A Supreme Court has "discovered" rights to terminate the lives of unborn babies in the womb and made up a so-called "right" to same-sex marriage. Those are cornerstone principles that have been violated and led to all sorts of destruction. In an age in which people are challenging the time-honored traditions rooted in a strong faith in God, we do well to continue to set a Godly example, strengthened by His Spirit.
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