Happy 4th of July!
The establishment of a new nation is no small feat! Every single signer of the Declaration of Independence put their lives on the line when they put their pen to that incredible document. The United States of America is the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Even under the canopy of freedom, crafted from the founders of America, they knew the fragility of humanity to keep this dream of a nation going. While all the signers of this document did not profess their faith in Christ, (most did), this country was founded under the inspiration of Almighty God.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and architects of the Constitution, believed that if a society became wicked and immoral it would decay to the point of ruin and have its inevitable end in a police state.
John Adams, our 2nd President said, "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people."
At the young age of 28, Abraham Lincoln, gave one of the greatest speeches of his life at the Young Men's Lyceum in Springfield, IL. At the end of this speech, he said, "If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher." Even then, he knew that if America ever fell, it would come from within and not from the outside.
In 1830, a young judge from France named Alex De Tocqueville, spent 10 months in America. When he returned to France, he wrote 2 volumes entitled, "Democracy in America." He expounded on all the moral characteristics that would make America flourish and prosper. But he said that as time marched on and people became self-sufficient and less concerned about the guiding principles of our nation, they would become vulnerable to the manipulation of politicians who offered them "perpetual security". He said that if we ever reached this point, we would cease to be thinking people and instead would be like sheep, industrious animals, who are in need of the government to shepherd us.
Thomas Hayward Jr., judge of South Carolina, was one of the youngest and original signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was also only 1 of 5 men who signed this document to be imprisoned by the British in 1780. He later said something profound, "Liberty survives only when it is defended".
Oh, what a great legacy we have in America to have been founded by such great men under the inspiration of the Almighty Architect Himself! In the early days of our founding, they knew what it would take to keep our nation strong and what it would take to bring it to ruin. We, who know this Architect know that our freedom is only sustained if we are guided by Him individually and corporately as a nation.
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Gal. 5:1
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Cor. 3:17
What a precious gift freedom is. Celebrate it today! Pray that our country remains free and that Christ will enter into our culture and into our lives in a way that allows our national freedom to be sustained and celebrated for many years to come.
Happy Independence Day America!
