"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" - 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution signed and agreeed to by our founding fathers
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religious, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." Patrick Henry 1776
"We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus! - John Adams and John Hancock, Founding Fathers (April 18, 1775)
"We have staked the whole future of our new nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments." - James Madison
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure if we have removed their only firm basis: a conviction in the minds of men that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." - Thomas Jefferson
What we focus on will become what we honor and what we serve!
But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.
Putting our faith into action is not the easiest thing. Often Christians think that God has walked away from us, and we are on our own. Nothing could be further from the truth.
You see everything when you read Scripture. God doesn't keep anything from us. He opens us to see and understand what life is about and how we can be blessed by God or walk away and be cursed by the same God. What am I going to focus on.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
"I think vital religion has always suffered when orthodoxy is more regarded than virtue. The scriptures assure me that at the last day we shall not be examined on what we thought but what we did." --- Benjamin Franklin, letter to his father, 1738
If we are conformed to anything, it ought to be God who is transforming our lives. Yet our founding fathers may look at us and say we have conformed in many ways. When I read 2 Kings 17 I see a picture of a nation that stepped away from God. I pray we step toward God and allow Him to transform our lives.
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised all his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves. They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them.
Seek God. Let his forgiveness change us!
"It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness..." – Abraham Lincoln
In closing I challenge each of us to imitate God and honor God as we honor our nation's birthday. We are blessed people! We will be more blessed as we follow God.
… They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them.
"Without a humble imitation of the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, we can never hope to be a happy nation." George Washington
Turn to God, America, and each of us.
and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
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