Heritage!

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he has chosen for his inheritance. Psalm 33:12

It is that time of year again where we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July in our nation. There are many truths that we reflect upon during this time of year, but I recently read one which seems to apply to this nation at this particular time. It says simply, “If we do not know the foundation that the Founding Fathers laid out for this nation, then we as a nation have no understanding of what we are to be today; thus, we are a nation that has no clear vision for tomorrow.”

Many of us have either forgotten or never really truly studied the heritage of this nation. Heritage is defined as features belonging to the culture of a particular society, such as traditions, languages or buildings that were created in the past and still have historical importance.

It is a fact that many of the Founding Fathers had a strong faith in God’s word, sought counsel from this Word, and made laws for this country based on His word. These men were not ashamed of their faith, and they are responsible for a constitution which has enabled this country to be “the longest on going Constitutional Republic in the history of the world.” David Barton

In our country today, the lack of understanding of the principles of the Founding Fathers is eroding the Christian values upon which our nation was built and setting us up to lose our heritage as a nation. The early draft of our Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776 and four days later on the steps of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, it was read aloud. The last words, “And for support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mututally pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” were followed by the ringing of the Liberty Bell. The inscription around the top of the bell finds its key truth in Leviticus 25:10, and says, “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.”

The Founding Fathers possesed three important things: a knowledge of God’s word, a seeking of God’s wisdom, and a preservation of Godly laws and principles. Somewhere during these two hundred forty seven years since, we have begun to ignore these principles.

In a study done by George Barna, it was found that many Americans are now adopting unbiblical views about their life, their families, and their country. It is obvious among the youth of our country that we are losing the battle for our spiritual heritage. For example, how many of our children these days can tell us anything about the history of Christianity? How many can tell us the story of our nation’s challenges, wars, and struggles? What has happened to the Bible stories we all used to love? How about the heroes of the past whose courage brought our nation to this point? Where are the Bibles in our homes? How many old hymns do we remember? How many of us can recite the 23rd Psalm? How many of us can recite the 52 word Preamble to the Constitution?

We are in great need of statesmen not politicians in this country. We need men and women of faith who will guide us through prayer and who passionately seek God’s wisdom for this country. It has been said that the battleground is no longer in a war zone but rather in our country, in our cities, and in our states every single day. John Adams once asked, “Did our Declaration of Independence not lay the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?” He later added, “Before fireworks and parades, Independence Day ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to Almighty God. ”

In the words of C. S. Lewis I find the definition of what we should all be about. He said, “Patriotism is grateful acceptance of where God has placed us. We are to learn and transmit the lessons of our nation and our heritage to the next generation.

This Fourth of July take time to thank God for His blessings and the rich heritage of this great nation! It should be the job of each of us to know enough of our great heritage that we can pass it on to those who followl us!

God Bless America!

Our Father’s God to Thee, author of Liberty, to Thee we sing; Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light; Protect us by Thy might, Great God our King. My Country Tis of Thee by Samuel Francis Smith