Happy Independence Day!

The following appeared in today’s eTHOUGHTS online devotionals and was so good I wanted to share.  It was written by Dr. Andy Johnson, Senior Adult Pastor, Emeritus at First Baptist Church, Ruston, Louisiana, and a retired fighter pilot for the U. S. Marine Corps and chaplain for the U. S. Navy.  Enjoy his thoughts and remember them throughout the remainder of this day and this year.

 

Balancing INDEPENDENCE with DEPENDENCE . . .

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”  Galatians 5:1   

 To some Americans, freedom means, “I get to do whatever I want.”  Experience shows us that this is merely a path to bad habits and addictions that lead to broken relationships and unhappy lives.  True freedom, or liberty, is the right to do what is right.  This path leads to strong, trusting relationships and satisfying lives.  Although not everyone chooses to live in true liberty . . . and in this present culture, their numbers appear extremely large . . . it is still our privilege as individuals, to stand fast in this liberty and to do and say what is right.

Leading up to our NATIONAL DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, 237 years ago, it had become apparent that King George of England was an autocratic tyrant, and Lord North, who led the British Parliament, looked on the American Colonies as a cash cow to be milked repeatedly through unjust taxes, tariffs, and restrictions on trade with anyone except England.   . . . This led to speeches such as that of Patrick Henry to the Virginia House of Burgesses, in which he said in closing, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.”  His speech stirred the whole nation.

We are blessed to live in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”  We are a God built nation, which explains why we so quickly became the leading nation in the world.  We acknowledge, every time we say the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag, that we are one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.  Why then do some of our leaders try to declare their independence from God and consider their thoughts superior to His?
Human ego appears to be an acronym for “edging God out.”  This is why we, as American citizens, must stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.  This nation did not begin as a polytheistic, multicultural, or “anything goes kind of nation.”  It was a Christian nation, intended to be governed by people who were guided by the precepts of the Holy Bible.  The evidence for this is clear, no matter how hard many are trying to hide it.

In summary, we should strongly maintain independence from human tyranny, but just as strongly maintain dependence on Almighty God who alone is able to preserve us as a great nation.

“Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land . . ..  Psalms 37:3 (which the Lord thy God giveth thee – Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16, 25:15)

(eTHOUGHTS is an online daily devotional newsletter written by a team of godly people. If you would like to receive the daily e-THOUGHTS, subscribe at www.eTHOUGHTSteam.com.)