Psalm 33:12
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord’s
Reflection: Happy July 4th
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
I am proud to be an American! I hope you are as well. I have had the privilege over the years to travel overseas, here and there, and I am (believe me) glad to fly home. I contend that there is nothing wrong with being proud of the country we are from. America is not perfect, but it is far from the worst place in the world to live. Right, wrong, or indifferent, it was founded as a Christian nation and owing to that, I believe, God has blessed it. Our natural resources cannot account for the blessings God has given us. In a short matter of a few hundred years, America has become the envy of the world. Once again, we are not perfect by a long shot. But, I am grateful (dare I repeat: “proud”) to be an American.
Many years ago, I made the decision to take the American flag off of the platform at our last church. There was a small backlash to that decision, as people thought we, as Christians, should be the most gratefully patriotic. Of course, I agree with that sentiment. However, the worship space of a church is reserved for worshipping God… no matter how personally patriotic I am. The fact is that I am a dual citizen. I am a citizen of America and thank God I am! And I am a citizen of Heaven, an ambassador of our home far away. Of those two citizenships, heaven’s is far and away more significant and important. I am a Christian first, an American second. My allegiance, above all else, is to the lordship of Christ.
So, with a very thankful and grateful heart I say, “happy fourth of July!” Now… go worship God and glorify him today in all your celebration!
Prayer
Lord, we are grateful for America and the freedom to worship you it has afforded. May you bless it and protect it, even as we reaffirm our final allegiance to Christ our Lord.
