How To Be Really Patriotic

From the earliest that I can remember, I was taught to love our country, just as I was taught to love God.  I still get tears in my eyes when I see the flag waving or hear the National Anthem or God Bless America.  I love this country!  I am thankful that I was raised by parents who felt good about paying their taxes and felt that the government was staffed by honorable people. That may seem a little naïve today, but I am glad they taught me that this is a Godly nation which has pure and good motives.

No one can read the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution and not KNOW that this nation was founded upon Godly principles.  For some 200 years, the majority of this nation has placed God first in our hearts.  Then during the last half of the last century, something began to happen to our faith in God.  We began to place our will above that of the clear directions of God.  It became more important for us to have what we thought was pleasurable, than to be obedient to the Lord.  I have been as guilty as anyone else.

One step at a time we have been moving away from the Lord, in our personal preferences, in the standards that we have required of our government personnel, and in our judicial system.  We have tried to replace man's wisdom for God's wisdom.  We have permitted the removal of references to God from the schools and from most of public life.  We surrendered without a fight.

Now, we are told that we have gone so far that we are the first non-Christian generation in the life of the United States.  In other words, there are now more non-believers than believers.

I'm convinced the reason God has blessed America above any nation in history, is because it was founded upon Godly principles.  Even with all the individual failures that we can point out, the majority of this country prayed and believed in God and placed Him first in our hearts. Even as late as the 1950's, it was the right thing to honor God both publicly and privately.

All through history, God has dealt with nations in relation to the way His people in that nation responded to Him.  Time and time again, throughout the Bible, we find recorded accounts of how God blessed His people when they obeyed God ... and on the other hand, how He even let ungodly nations become victorious over His own people when His people disobeyed and dishonored Him.

When will God's judgment come upon our nation?  Perhaps the only reason that His judgment has not already come upon us is because there are still many, many Godly Christians all over this great country who genuinely honor Him in their lives, including many within the government leadership itself.

What is the most patriotic thing YOU can do this 4th of July?  It is not to eat barbecue or watch a parade and the fireworks.

The greatest thing you can possibly do for your country is to dedicate YOUR life afresh to the Lord and commit to Him that you WILL be obedient to Him and you WILL try to help bring our great country back to the Lord ... one person, one family, one elected official, one judge at a time.  One of the greatest tools that Satan is using to keep us away from God today, is the hate being felt and expressed between one group and another ... political groups,  (both those in power and those out of power), racial groups, and even religions groups.  We do not have to always agree with each other, but we MUST love others!

YOU cannot do everything, but you can do something.  Start in your own heart, then take it to your family, to your neighborhood, your church, your city, and ultimately it will reach the nation.

God clearly lays the responsibility at the door of the Christian, NOT the ungodly.  "If my people (Christians) which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and HEAL THEIR LAND !"  (2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV)  If we do our part God WILL take care of His part!

[ By: Rev. Felix Snipes, Copyright 2005 -- submitted by: Felix Snipes (fsnipes@ix.netcom.com) ]