Dependence Day
What does it mean to be dependant?
It is being contingent on another. Subordinate to someone else. Relying on or requiring the aid of another for support
But it is also being a servant to the works of the flesh.
Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
And this applies to a nation as well as a person. Look at our nation, is this not where we are today? Do we not see where we are headed?
But God does show us a way to be independent of the works.
II Chronicles 7:14
if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Wait a minute. You did say Independent. Isn’t that what we are celebrating?
But what does it mean to be Independent?
Not governed by a foreign power; self-governing. Free from the influence, guidance, or control of another or others; to be self-reliant: an independent mind. Not determined or influenced by someone or something else. Not relying on others for support, care, or funds; self-supporting.
Yea, that is what we want to be. That is what we are here talking about today.
This is a time of strife for the U.S.? After 9/11 nothing is the same as it was before, not on a international sense at least. But after war there must come a time of reconciliation and peace.
Reconciliation and peace is very important, both politically, between countries and ideologies, between people living closer together, the family, between friends, etc...
Independence Day should of course be a time of celebration. What does American stand for in the end? US is a leader of the world, what does it take to be a leader? With leadership comes responsibility.
Independence Day is a day of freedom, but it isn't or shouldn’t be about history only but you need to regain Independence Day every year in you hearts and minds...
What if God based our freedom on what he sees?
What if God couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?
What if God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Him today?
What if God didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as His day?
What if we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the Rain?
What if, God answered our prayers the way we answer His call to service?
What if, God didn't send His only begotten Son because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin?
What if, God met our needs the way we give Him our lives???
What if, God stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care for others?
What if, God took away His message because we failed to listen to the messenger?
What if, God took away the Bible tomorrow because we would not read it today?
What if, God would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him?
What if, the door of the church was closed because we did not open the door of our heart?
Pretty scary idea isn’t it!
But God has given is so much more.
Galatians 5:22-26
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Independence Day by history is symbolizing our independence from England, but it should also be a day of thanks to all those who have and are preserving our independence (freedom) and a day to pray to God for continued guidance and strength in our nation’s life
Independence Day is letting go in some way, isn't it? It's not only freedom but to be independent of something you weren't independent of before.
And what about all these “God Bless America” signs?
God has and does bless America every day and every minute of every day. It is time that America Blessed God and took the time to say thank you for all the wonderful and beautiful gifts he has given us. It is a time for us as a nation to get on our knees and pray for a healing of our wounds and a insight into our future. We want to take so much credit for what we do and who we are when in truth the very fact that we are alive is a gift from God. We complain about laws and systems and yet many other nations do not have near the freedoms we have.
And you shouldn't attach God to America too much as a country, God blesses equally around the world.
Every national privilege can be traced back to the hand of God. If we have liberty, we can thank the One who came to “proclaim liberty to the captives…to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18 ). If we enjoy a robust economy or a high tide of justice, we don’t limit our thanks to senators or the Supreme Court; we thank God.
Tally this up. God makes the boundaries. He determines the leaders. He dispenses the blessings. And America exists by the power of God. Can we afford to forget this—can we afford to sever this single, silver strand that supports the whole framework of our republic?
Only at terrible risk.
Deuteronomy 8:19
“If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed
“America,” God says, “you exist by My power.” That’s the first reminder. But God doesn’t stop there. A second reminder commands our attention.
America, you exist for My glory.
Recall what God said through the prophet,
Ezekiel 39:21
“I will demonstrate my glory among the nations”
God does not need the United States in order to advance His cause. He lobbies no country and depends on no government.
Isaiah 40:15, 17
“No, for all the nations of the world are nothing in comparison with him. They are but a drop in the bucket, dust on the scales. He picks up the islands as though they had no weight at all. The nations of the world are as nothing to him. In his eyes they are less than nothing—mere emptiness and froth”
Suppose—just suppose—God’s glory became America’s prayer and priority:
Psalm 115:1
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory”
Suppose our elected officials daily asked. How can we honor God in our decisions? How can this school introduce students to God? How can this army promote the name of God?
Remember, who manages the hearts of rulers? Who prompts the decisions of kings? God does. God can change a nation.
For that reason, we must pray—pray with all our hearts—that America would turn back to God.
Psalm 79:9
“Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.”
(Max Lacado)
Yes 9/11 was an eye opener.
We were attacked because of the very things we hold sacred.
But many of America’s problems are because we are looking to him for blessing instead of thanking him for what he has and is giving us.
We are considered the melting pot of the world with an open arms to people of all creeds and colors and yet there are so many divisions based on color or religion.
We were founded on a belief in being able to serve God as we please and yet the word God is being removed from many places and activities
We spend so much time worrying about semantics that we forget what the problem is we were trying to solve was
We are told to love one another and yet many Americans do not even love themselves - they are too busy trying to be someone else and then when someone does come along that is comfortable with who and what they are we set them up as the peculiar one.
I was asked by a friend of mine in Sweden, “Is it true that Americans are money crazy?”
That was a hard one to answer as many of us are.
We are a culture of winners
We think we have to have certain things to be important. We have difficulty seeing a winner as who he/she is and not what you have.
St. Matthew 6:19-21
¶ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
But Independence Day is about a war, and God tells us thou shall not kill!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Over the years battles have been fought by different cultures, races, lifestyles and even brothers. We have become so uncaring that when we hear the news of war or conflict our only concern is that it isn’t close to our homes and our ways of life. We look to those that serve to defend us as protectors and feel they are brave because they do so. Many who serve have faith beyond reason and do so only to provide the freedoms we have cherished for all of our lives. If we look to the past we will see that the very freedoms we are so accustomed to were the direct result of conflict. We must then dissect the conflict to know that most are based on disagreement and strife between two minds. These minds can be that of one or that of many and the influences can be devastating to the followers. One thing can be taken from this, that what is written here can and might cause conflict on difference of opinions; it is how we deal with this conflict that makes our minds what they are.
Soldiers step forward in defense of the people they serve and not the country or culture they are from. Many people believe that soldiers do what they do in defense of their country, but you must see that the country they serve is not the land but the people that make it what it is. Soldiers have fears and regrets but the faith they have allows many of them the comfort needed to step forward and take action where needed.
We must ask that on a day of remembrance that each of you in your own way take a moment to not only honor those that serve you but all of those who have stood for whatever cause they choose to serve in days, years and eras gone by. God have given us the freedom of choice and some we feel have strayed from that path. But we as believers must know that faith in believing is the strength that allows us to continue. The sadness in all is that there are believers in every facet of the world and each must deal with their own basis of belief and compromise to understand the others.
We are a people of change and God grants us the ability to accept or reject those that happen in our lifetime. This country was founded on change, and conflict arose and a dedicated force of believers stepped out to meet that challenge. It is no different today as we continue to seek changes to make all things better in our lives. Just as many have heard Freedom isn’t Free, It should be offered and not forced to avoid conflict and strife.
(SFC Jim Bryan US Army 36th Infantry)
And what about our flag?
THERE is a fad that springs up now and then in America of considering it fashionable to deplore our flag as just a symbol. Well, that's absolutely right. It is a symbol. The only fault that I can find with the pseudo intellectuals who therefore discount it is that they live by symbols and apparently aren't even aware of it.
I would like to ask them a few questions. For example, why do they stop their cars when they see a red light at an intersection? It's just a symbol. The answer is obvious. The least unpleasant thing that could result from doing otherwise would be for a patrolman to give them a ticket. The awful end result could be a screeching, tearing, rendering crash that might end with life ebbing cruelly from broken bodies. It's just a symbol, that red light, but it's wiser to pay attention to that symbol, now isn't it?
A driver going down a steep mountain road might look up to see a sign posted with lines on it depicting a dangerous curve ahead. Does that driver slow to take that curve? You bet he does. He pays attention to that symbol because it could mean life or death to him if he doesn't.
To go a step further, let's concentrate on a single dot called a period. It's always important but it can become explosive. If you should promise to pay a man $500 a week on a written contract and your secretary puts the dot in the wrong place, it could be disastrous for either party providing that they signed on the dotted line.
Think then of the symbol we call "Old Glory." It came into being by an enactment of the fifteenth Congress in 1818. Rather than go into the purely physical aspects of our flag, I will try to point out what each segment of it means in heraldry and apply it to real life situations.
Red is generally accepted to denote hardiness and valor. Washington's troops at Valley Forge surely lived up to that description just as surely as did Jedadiah Smith and Joseph Walker when they penetrated the vast mountain ranges of the West and so did the people who followed. Acts of great courage are heavily pronounced in the annals of America and they most certainly didn't always take place on the field of battle. Yet, because of the fact that World War II, the Korean War, the war in Vietnam, and Desert Storm are fresh in the minds of America, there is scarcely an American who somehow, somewhere, is not acquainted with a person who once again had proved American mettle under great stress.
Remember the symbol. The red stripes on our flag represent all of America. They represent us from the dreadful winter at Valley Forge to the present and into the future. America, that is all of us, expects courage and valor from one another. It is a proud symbol and one that future generations will revere.
The white stripes in actuality represent purity and innocence. Surely the symbolism of this isn't lost on us. Despite the very real problems created by our human natures, our massive goal has always been the pursuit of justice, equality and personal happiness. To this end the often ponderous wheels of American jurisprudence seek our every avenue of truth and the American people have often asked openly if the expenditures of millions of dollars to prosecute a test case is worth the money. Emphatically yes. The search is for all of us and since those white stripes are gazed upon by millions of Americans every day, let them remember that they symbolize our constant trust to guard truth and justice vigilantly. Truth and justice that seek to be a shield for every American to carry into his daily life. A symbol? Yes, but a powerful, moving force in the constant drive toward a better world.
In the upper left-hand corner, there is a block of blue emblazoned with fifty white stars. Technically it is called the Union; it symbolized the union of two or more peoples, incorporating their ideas and districts. Let's look at it from its real standpoint and realize that each one of those stars represents millions of Americans and that somewhere in those millions is the name you answer to.
No need to pick out a single star and say, "Hey, that's for me." Those stars represent all fifty states collectively and our founders did this with a stroke of genius. For our Union does unite two or more peoples or districts. It unites fifty districts and over two hundred million people. When you stand up and salute our flag or fly it from your home, your boat or your place of business, you are saying, "I'm grateful to be a member of that biggest Union of all, the United States of America." The color blue represents vigilance and perseverance and most certainly since revolutionary days we have epitomized those words.
So in bundling it all together we have a symbol, a symbol that for two hundred years has signified honor, valor, justice, responsibility, perseverance, hardiness and commonweal. That symbol has been the banner that millions of Americans have marched and sailed and flown with into the maws of death. They have been proud of that symbol and in turn it has slowly and patiently nurtured their common good to the extent that America stands head and shoulders over most of the world.
Yes, face the flag. It is most emphatically your flag. It has been at Iwo-jima, at the Maine, it has flown against the enemy in the Coral Sea and soared high in the sky above Nazi guns. Yet, it flies peacefully above every court house in the nation and stands quietly at Arlington. It is your flag, the symbol of unity, strength and honor toward you and toward your fellow Americans. Yes, face the flag, and to thank God it's still there.
(John Wayne Actor/American)
So as we leave here today and go out to celebrate out Independence Day, take time to say thanks to the giver and remember
Ephesians 6:10
¶ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might
And
Romans 13:7-8
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
¶ Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
We are a free nation by the grace of God supported by the men and women that dedicate their lives to preserving those freedoms we hold so dear.
Thank God.
Pray for a solider.
And be proud to be an American.
