Like most Americans I will be celebrating Independence Day on this fourth of July in some way. For many of us, that means eating, drinking, being merry, and enjoying fireworks and family. That all has its place, but it’s so much more to it than that.
The awesome document called the Declaration of Independence that was adopted in 1776, resulted from Britain's oppressive control over the American colonies. In the portion of the document known as A Declaration of Rights, the authors eloquently stated, "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."
Everyone wants to be treated with respect. No people want to be governed by a body that gives them no say. To the authors of the Declaration, these rights are given us by God, and no one has the right to take them away. Out of this passion, the colonies made their appeals to Britain and its king but to no avail. All attempts having failed, the signers of the Declaration felt that the only recourse they had was to declare the colonies independent, with all ties to Britain ended.
As I reflect on the independence movement that gave rise to the Declaration of Independence and the great country that has resulted--the greatest in all the world--I believe that it was more than Congress appointing a committee to pen a Declaration, but also God must have had His hand somewhere in the matter. I am so thankful to Him that He has blessed me to be born in this country wherein I can pursue and realize the "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" that the authors of the Declaration envisioned. Hopefully, you feel the same.
It all started with a cry of the human soul that refused to be silenced. And so here we are—America, land of the free, home of the brave. To really appreciate it all, we must reflect on the story behind the historic moment that has brought us to the point of celebrating this holiday as we currently do.
I see a parallel between the Declaration of Independence and our Redemption through Christ. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, all of humanity was in bondage and oppressed by the devil. There was no one throughout all of humanity who could help us. We were hopelessly doomed to hell. “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law…” (Galatians 4:4-5a).
In conclusion, the right to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is an ideal that characterizes the spirit of America, but the truth is that only through Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, can we know true life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is the Declaration that heaven has made on our behalf, signed by Christ’s blood that He shed on Calvary. This is the message that we must proclaim—if present day America has any hope of fully realizing the vision of the authors of the Declaration of Independence. God bless our great country, our soldiers and our veterans. Amen.
Copyright ©2010 by Frank King. All rights reserved.
The awesome document called the Declaration of Independence that was adopted in 1776, resulted from Britain's oppressive control over the American colonies. In the portion of the document known as A Declaration of Rights, the authors eloquently stated, "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."
Everyone wants to be treated with respect. No people want to be governed by a body that gives them no say. To the authors of the Declaration, these rights are given us by God, and no one has the right to take them away. Out of this passion, the colonies made their appeals to Britain and its king but to no avail. All attempts having failed, the signers of the Declaration felt that the only recourse they had was to declare the colonies independent, with all ties to Britain ended.
As I reflect on the independence movement that gave rise to the Declaration of Independence and the great country that has resulted--the greatest in all the world--I believe that it was more than Congress appointing a committee to pen a Declaration, but also God must have had His hand somewhere in the matter. I am so thankful to Him that He has blessed me to be born in this country wherein I can pursue and realize the "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" that the authors of the Declaration envisioned. Hopefully, you feel the same.
It all started with a cry of the human soul that refused to be silenced. And so here we are—America, land of the free, home of the brave. To really appreciate it all, we must reflect on the story behind the historic moment that has brought us to the point of celebrating this holiday as we currently do.
I see a parallel between the Declaration of Independence and our Redemption through Christ. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, all of humanity was in bondage and oppressed by the devil. There was no one throughout all of humanity who could help us. We were hopelessly doomed to hell. “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law…” (Galatians 4:4-5a).
In conclusion, the right to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is an ideal that characterizes the spirit of America, but the truth is that only through Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, can we know true life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is the Declaration that heaven has made on our behalf, signed by Christ’s blood that He shed on Calvary. This is the message that we must proclaim—if present day America has any hope of fully realizing the vision of the authors of the Declaration of Independence. God bless our great country, our soldiers and our veterans. Amen.
Copyright ©2010 by Frank King. All rights reserved.
2 comments:
Hi Frank,
I can see exactly where you are coming from and I have been to America many times. I think your country is fine and I have enjoyed every moment I have spent there (and I have been there many times - most recently Alaska just last month).
However, the one small thing I have a problem with is the claim that America is the "greatest country in the world". But of course, America is not alone in thinking it is greatest place on earth - I would suggest that the United Kingdom is (as you might expect) - and most if not all of the things that you say make America "great" are also very evident in other countries around the world. For example, "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is a worthy mantra for any country and most countries abide by that mantra. "Land of the Free and Home of the Brave" also applies to other countries - we are absolutely free and our troops fight alongside your great troops too.
I believe that I am very lucky to have been born in Britain and I wouldn't live anywhere else - and that includes America.
A lot of things have changed since 1776 and the Britain that existed then was, as you quite rightly say, oppressive so it is hardly a surprise that the war of independence happened.
I hope you enjoy "Independence Day" and I wish you and your fellow countrymen all the best. After all, America is a great place - I just prefer Britain.
I look forward to my next visit.
:0)
Take Care
PM
Plastic Mancunian,
Thanks for the comment. I perfectly understand all that you are saying. YOu do live in a great country, it has been a trusted ally to us, and you should be proud to live there. And I am sure that many people in many places around the world believe their country is the greatest. Anyway, I am glad that you enjoyed your visits here.
Blessings
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