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This week my wife and I have had the opportunity to visit our son in Washington DC. We have been here several times now, but this time is different because we are spending the 4th of July in our nation’s capital.

I realize that we live in a day when our nation is very divided, and this upcoming election doesn’t seem to be helping this truth.

Now, I consider myself a patriot. I love this country Almighty God has allowed me to live in. It is the greatest nation on earth, and it is my home. I stand for the National Anthem with my hand over my heart. What breaks my heart about our great nation is it was once even better, and there is hope that it can be again in the future. The only way, and I mean the only way this will ever happen is if our leaders, our nation, recognize that all that we are and ever hope to be is because we are blessed by God the Creator.

Listen to the words of the Psalmist in chapter 96:1-6, “Sing to the Lord a new song; Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”

Here is the underlying truth. There will be a day when every nation will bow before the true King. In this Psalm, there is a call to look upon and recognize the greatness and glory of the Great I AM. Wouldn’t it be great that as we as a nation celebrate our independence from tyranny, we would also as a nation celebrate the day Christ freed us from the tyranny of bandage and sin? The day that our God freed us from death and hell.

I believe that there is absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating our nation, but as I sit and watch the fireworks and hear all the oohs and awes, I’m going to be celebrating true freedom and celebrating what our God has done for us, for me.

My prayer is that our nation will be able to do the same.  That there will be a great revival in our land. For the followers of Christ, every day is Independence Day.