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God Bless America, Land That I Love!

Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.”  Every year at this time I think of this verse as I ponder our great country and its blessed history.  I still believe that America is the greatest nation in the world and I feel blessed by God to have been born and raised in these grand United States of America! 

The groundwork for the freedom we enjoy has been laid over the past 234 years.  We enjoy our freedom today, because of what our founding fathers, our fathers, our brothers & sisters, and our sons & daughters have done to get and preserve this freedom.  And our freedom didn’t come cheap.  The patriots fought and died to give us our freedoms, including our “freedom of religion.”  There are those today who are trying to tell us that the intention of our founding fathers was to give us “freedom FROM religion.” However, there’s a difference between “freedom OF religion”, and “freedom FROM religion.”

This nation was founded on Christian principles!  The first settlers of America came here to express their religious faith … for freedom of worship.  The Pilgrims who came to Plymouth Rock on the Mayflower, wrote the Mayflower Compact in 1620.  In it they specifically stated, “In the name of God.  Amen.  Having undertaken for the glory of God and for the advancement of the Christian faith, do solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, covenant and combine ourselves together.”  Twenty-three years later, the New England Confederation was written.  In it our founding fathers wrote: “Whereas we all came into these parts with one and the same end and aim, namely to advance the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to enjoy the liberties of the gospel in purity and peace.” And the framers of our Constitution wrote in 1776 – “We therefore, the representatives of the United States of America in general congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions……..And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence … we mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” 

And there is more. When the first Continental Congress met, and were debating about how the Declaration of Independence should be written, Ben Franklin got up and said – “Gentlemen, if it is true that not one single petal from any flower falls to the ground without escaping God’s attention, will the distress of this nation go unheeded?  Let us therefore determine to seek His face.”  After having said that, 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence went to their knees and began to pray and seek God’s wisdom.  Wow!  Can you imagine what would happen if that were to happen in our Congress and Supreme Court today?  What if they prayed genuinely from the heart: “Almighty God, what do You want for this nation?”

Your freedom and independence came to you at a COST.  Our founding fathers were COMMITTED to, not only obtaining freedom for future generations …they were COMMITTED to Christian principles.  James 5:16 says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  Prayer makes such a difference.  Our founding fathers looked to the Word of God to organize the government of our nation. They laid the foundation …we are to build upon it.  In closing I will provide a prayer I encourage you to offer up to our Lord this Independence Day.

HERO HEADQUARTERS: Where We Join Forces with God!

       School is over for the summer.  Now we move on to all the summer activities like playing ball, swimming, camping, fishing and Vacation Bible School.  Church activities for the month of June include Sunday School Promotion Sunday on the 13^th and Father’s Day on the 20^th.  We are so blessed as a congregation to be involved in the work and ministry of Almighty God. 

      We have begun the planning and preparation for our Vacation Bible School and we will again need many helpers.  Our theme for Vacation Bible School this year is HERO HEADQUARTERS: Where Kids Join Forces With God.  Our culture is currently enjoying a wave of interest in Super Heroes.  From Batman to Superman, Spiderman, and Iron Man, movies and comic books with these characters are popular once again.  Children have always liked superheroes and I have always felt our churches should be a Hero Headquarters.  Churches should be the place children find real heroes of life.  Not necessarily people who do extraordinary things but lots of people who do the things that matter in life and make a difference as role models for young people.  At the VBS Hero Headquarters the kids will meet unlikely Bible heroes who are often overlooked.  In fact, we don’t know any of the names of the Biblical characters in these stories.  There were just people who were faithful and obedient to God and He used them in great ways.  They were not famous leaders or called by God to perform amazing miracles – yet their small acts were used by God to do wonderful things!  The goal is to demonstrate to children that if they are willing to be used by God in any situation, no matter how big or how small, they can make a difference.  With God’s power at work, they can be heroes right wherever they are.

       It is so important to invest in the lives of our children.  And we can learn so much from them.  When speaking of genuine salvation, Jesus made an apt comparison to the characteristics of young children.  In Matthew 18: 3-5, Jesus says, “…I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” To be saved, you must come to Christ with the dependent attitude and outlook of a little child: simple, helpless, trusting, unaffected, and unpretentious.  It’s not that children are without sin, but that they are naďve and unassuming, dependent on others and free from selfish claims to grandeur.  They submit to the care of their parents and other loved ones relying on them to meet all their needs.  That’s the kind of humble and dependent attitude anyone must have who seeks to enter the kingdom of Jesus Christ.  This is the kind of attitude that brings us to salvation.

       Many people think the main reason God saves people is so that He can keep them out of hell, or so that they can experience His love or lead happy lives.  But all those reasons are secondary.  God saves people because it is an affront to His holy name that someone should live in rebellion against Him.  That people experience salvation is not the main issue with God – it is His glory that is at stake.  The Apostle Paul said of Jesus in Philippians 2: 9-11, “God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Salvation is for God’s glory.

       God is glorified when people believe His gospel, love His Son, and accept His diagnosis of their greatest need, which is forgiveness of sin.  You certainly benefit from God’s provision of salvation, but you exist for the glory of God.  Praise be to God Almighty……..   

Pastor Doug