GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Today is the FOURTH of JULY! It is so fitting to give HONOR to the FOUNDING FATHERS and those who established this COUNTRY. 249 YEARS later we are STILL HERE. It is easy to criticize our country for its failings, its division, its turmoil. Isn't it curious that we can get so fixated on the problems of life and comletely forget the BLESSINGS we have. I think this is particularly true when we think about our country. I also think that is how NON-BELIEVERS look at CHRISTIANITY. It is easy to look at all that is WRONG with BELIEVERS. We often forget that even though we FALL under the GRACE of GOD, through JESUS CHRIST, we are still far from perfect. We are on a journey to be more like JESUS but we are NOT THERE YET!

I was reading chapters 4 and 5 in Revelation and realized the constant repitition of the words HONOR, GLORY, and POWER in terms of GOD. 

"And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:  'Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.' And the four living beings said, 'Amen!' And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb." (Revelation 5:13-14, NLT)

I am saddened by the number of people that HATE our COUNTRY. I am amazed at the number of people that wish harm to our leaders and officials on BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE. That is not the way it should be. We are SO BLESSED to live in this country that we even have the right to DISAGREE with our government. There are many places in the world, protesting the government would mean SURE DEATH or at least imprisonment. That is not true with our country and despite the division we, more often than not, get along and tolerate differences. OUR COUNTRY deserves to be HONORED on this day.

BUT, GOD is above all things. He is above all governments, all authorities, and he is higher than the 

Psalm 113 does a great job PRAISING THE LORD and it should be our PRAISE ALWAYS:

"Praise the Lord! Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever. Everywhere -- from east to est -- praise the name of the Lord. For the Lord is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?  He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the pooer from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 113, NLT)

Thank you LORD for the MANY BLESSINGS and providing us with this wonderful nation. All the HONOR, the GLORY, and the POWER are YOURS and YOURS ALONE! AMEN!