Blake came to me yesterday and said, “Tomorrow is fireworks
day! We get to pop firecrackers and shoot rockets!” Indeed today is a pretty wonderful holiday.
We are such a free people that we can celebrate this day any way we choose or
not celebrate at all. But a day off is always good and family fun makes it even
better.
The Declaration of Independence is the seal on the liberty
of this great country. Nowhere have people had the freedom to live and breathe
and enjoy their lives as we do in this country. Long regarded as “the land of opportunity,”
there’s no question the tiny band of religious outcasts who founded America hit
upon a formula for success that went way beyond what they could have imagined.
How else can you explain the fact that they established a nation that has
become the best example of civil, economic and religious liberty the world has
ever known?
Today as we celebrate with hot dogs, trips to the lake,
fireworks, watermelon and all the family traditions this day brings, we must
stop and give thanks to the One Who made us and this country what we are.
Without God’s divine hand on the puritans who came here we would not have
enjoyed all that we have. True freedom
is not the absence of God, but the blessings of God’s oversight, sovereignty and
loving care.
Even though we live in a great country, for the believer,
our citizenship is in heaven. Our liberty as well is found in Christ. Our
allegiance is to God’s Word. This is our
formula for success. When we focus on the true foundation of our faith, we can celebrate
not only this holiday, but everything else as well. While the founding fathers fought for
independence, we must remain totally dependent upon our God, for without that
dependence we cannot hope to claim the rights of a citizen of heaven nor the
blessings of a child of the Most High God.
Have you pledged your allegiance– to live in the light of
His Word – so that you can see clearly no matter what life brings? Have you
claimed your citizenship rights? Are you acquainted with all the responsibilities
and blessings of heaven? Are you walking in the true Freedom of the One Who
gave you life? People may disappoint, governments may erase freedoms, but God
remains faithful to His own. Your life may have its troubles, trials and hurts,
but you can rest in the promises of God and celebrate life in Christ no matter
what.
Oh beloved, before the food, fellowship and fireworks, won’t
you run to the Lord this morning and thank Him for His magnificent gifts? The
gifts of liberty, of citizenship and of allegiance? He’s calling you to a
greater freedom than you’ve ever known. He’s wooing you to remember who you
belong to and where you allegiance lies. His Word is your necessary food to
find strength for this day. Celebrate with the Lord this morning and let Him
strengthen your heart, straighten your resolve and bless you beyond belief!
You are beloved and you are free- and you can live in the light of His Word!
Psalm 33:12 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to
be envied) is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His
heritage. (Amplified)
Deuteronomy 4:7 For what great nation has a
god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on Him?
Psalm 146:5 But joyful are those who have
the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God.
2 Corinthians 3:17 For the Lord is the
Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Philippians 3:20 But we are citizens of
heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him
to return as our Savior.
Hebrews 13:15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a
continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name.
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