Mark Twain said, “True patriotism, the only rational patriotism, is loyalty to the nation all the time and loyalty to the government when it deserves it.” Even though America is going through hard times right now, we are blessed to live here. We have our problems, for sure, but we are also, with God’s help, able to resolve our differences and solve our problems.
Our history is more a tapestry of growth and change than it is a picture of pristine beauty without any blemishes. We have a freedom that most countries of the world can only imagine.
The theme of liberty is embedded in our national past and our present challenges. G.K. Chesterton wrote, “The idea of liberty has, ultimately, a religious root; that is why men find it so easy to die for and so difficult to define.”
July Fourth is our Independence Day. It is a national holiday and is celebrated in many different ways across this vast land that God has given us. Regardless of our background, we are Americans because God has given us this blessing. We are here by design and not by chance. Acts 17:26 says, “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation.”
J. Vernon McGee, interpreting this verse, wrote, “Not only is He the God who created the universe and who created human beings, but He also put them in certain geographical locations. God has put nations in certain places.” The Puritan, John Gill, wrote that God has fixed our time and place, and no one “comes into the world sooner or later than that time; and also, the particular country, city, town and spot of ground where he shall dwell.”
In this time of unrest in our nation, it is profitable to notice that the passage in Acts says God made from one (or one blood) every nation. J.B. Phillips paraphrased that verse, “From one forefather, he has created every race of men to live over the face of the whole earth. He has determined the times of their existence and the limits of their habitation.” The Living Bible says, “He created all people of the world from one man, Adam, and scattered the nations across the face of the earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and when. He determined their boundaries.”
If we trace our lineage back far enough, we will all come to the same father and founder. While we are different, we are related. Where we live is the result of God’s sovereign determination. Elton Trueblood said of Abraham Lincoln, “His patriotism was saved from idolatry by the overwhelming sense of the sovereignty of God.”
America is not perfect, but it is our home. Despite our difficulties at the present time, we still live in what I believe is the greatest nation on earth today. The United States cannot be defined by one generation but by a continuing history. We are a nation of many races, and we should seek freedom and justice for all. Our Constitution and Declaration of Independence are among history’s greatest documents, both heavily influenced by God’s Word and natural law.
President Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.” Followers of Jesus can impact freedom for many, because believers know what true freedom is: Not the right to do as we please, but the power to do what is right. Benjamin Franklin said, “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”
All of our 50 state constitutions had preambles that expressed gratitude to the author of true freedom, “Grateful to Almighty God for liberties.”
July Fourth is Independence Day — a national holiday when we can be thankful for the freedoms we have and for the opportunity to remember some words from the New England Confederation (1643), “We all came into these parts of America 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 with peace.”
Happy and blessed Independence Day!