Happy Independence Day 2012

We'd like to wish all our readers a very Happy Independence day. While most modern liberals spend the day bashing America and complaining about the flags flying, there are still a great many folks who love our nation. We'd especially like to send out a thank you to those who have sacrificed so much from our beginning until today, so that we can enjoy our freedoms that were bought with such a cost.

At the same time, we're only a few days removed from the Supreme Court decision upholding ObamaCare, or at least the bill as re-defined by Chief Justice Roberts. I can't help but think about the contrast between today's liberal court and our original court. Consider the words of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court:

“Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved Son.”

It's ironic that the words of our first chief justice would probably be considered unconstitutional to utter in a public building by today's court. Still, even with this unprecedented power grab by the feds at the expense of local, state and individual rights, America remains one of the best countries on this earth.

We as Christians must continually work to bring back the Biblical principles on which our country was founded, including rights to life, religious freedom and personal liberties. Yet, we must not lose sight of the fact that this is not our true home. We must seek first the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt 6:33) and carry out the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20). Only when hearts are changed can we expect a permanent change in our society.

Yet, we don't have to reform all of society to bring God's blessing on our country. When we quote 2nd Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”, we often think first of reforming unbelievers in government, Hollywood, the media etc. But notice that this promise begins with "if my people", so it is contingent upon the heart and mind of the church, not on unbelievers. If we merely reform ourselves, our nation will be blessed (See our article, Can America claim the promises of 2Chr 7:14, or are they reserved exclusively for Israel? for additional information on this topic).

We'd also like to share one of our favorite videos on this Independence Day. Many have probably viewed this (it has almost 2 million viewings as of this writing), but it's always worth watching again. It is Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance and a great testimony of a time when the majority still respected the flag.