Happy Birthday America!

"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you....You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.'  But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,
and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.  Deuteronomy 8:10, 17-18

We all know how blessed we are to live in the United States.  While the U.S. has its problems, and we are all aware of them, I still cannot help but feel gratitude that I am an American citizen. 

And much like the Scripture says, whcn I look at my possessions, at our great nation, sometimes I am tempted to pat myself (or collectively ourselves) on the back and take credit for a job well done.

Then, conviction creeps in.  And I realize that all I have has nothing to do with me.  It has to do with the sacrifices of others, from the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives and their occupations so that we can live, work and play with freedom and security.  It's about family members who sacrificed self so they could help form character and help make sure their families had all they needed.  It's about the founders of our who valued worship so much they were ready to venture to an unknown.

Above all else, the reason why America is great is because God has put His favor on it.  We have done nothing to deserve it, which is why it's called favor.  We don't need to delude ourselves into thinking that we earned it, it's simply His grace.  

So I humbly ask you this long weekend, as we celebrate America's birthday and contemplate how very fortunate we are to live in this blessed nation, to do exactly as Moses instructed the Israelites a long time ago.  Eat, be satisified, be thankful!  Just be sure and remember to whom those thanks must be given.