Life, Liberty, Happiness

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal., that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Those words were penned by Thomas Jefferson 246 years ago and included in the Declaration of Independence. Those words rang true then, and they ring true now. As a nation, brave men and women have fought and died to protect our rights to be a free and independent nation. But, as Thomas Jefferson eluded to in the above quote, these rights come from one much higher, with much more authority than any individual or group can ever attain. Our government can pass laws, enforce laws, and make or break our nation, but ultimately, we have to look at the one who has provided the means for our Democratic Republic to exist.

As I write these words, and I think about where our nation is right now, it is very easy to get swept up in the political divide that we are finding ourselves in now. A divide that we should not find ourselves in if we are going to remain THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. We must be able to find common ground, we must be able to have open debate without hatred or a dismissive attitude towards those who have differing opinions. Psalm 133 says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”

Our freedoms are proclaimed in the documents that created our great nation, but they are provided for by the God who created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Revelation 4:11 says, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Not only has God created the physical universe, he has also established the “governing authorities.” Paul, in writing to the church in Rome made this statement in chapter 13, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

Our forefathers, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and the list goes on, clearly understood where their authority came from and where life, liberty, and our pursuit of happiness originates from.

So, this fourth of July, remember the gift it is to be living in a free country, to have the liberties we have and the ability to live our lives in a way that brings glory to God. Perhaps, just as we read the Christmas story to our children at Christmas, we should remind our children of how we became a nation every 4th of July. I know that may not sound very exciting, but if we are not reminded of where we came from, who we ought to be as a nation and as a society, and by whom we have been granted this freedom, it becomes all too easy to forget, and fall away from the position we once held.

God Bless your family, and God Bless these United States of America.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”  
                                                                          2 Corinthians 3:17