On this Independence Day, I gladly raise my flag, put my hand across my swelling heart, and sing our National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” with gusto and a tear or two streaming down my cheek. My parents taught me to love this land, to respect its flag, to stand for the Constitution, and to learn of its great history. I remember standing in grade school to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing “My Country, Tis of Thee.” Certainly, I did not understand the full meaning of it then, but I sure do now!
As I watch the deterioration of our country due to the selfish heart of man, an entitlement mentality, the disdain for Christ and His Word, the lack of respect for authority, the undermining of marriage being between one man and one woman, the collapse of the family/home, and the decreasing influence of the church, my heart can become sad, fearful, and distraught. We are a soft nation. We are a misled nation. We are a sinful nation.
But . . . there is hope! Every one of our country’s ills can be cured by the Gospel!
For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)
Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. (Psalm 33:8-12)
From A Pastor's Heart 