Day 2 - Week 69 - 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

 Give thanks in everything....

It is July 4th, 2012...I live in the United States of America.  And today I am thankful that 236 years ago some very courageous men declared that this new land would become independent from foreign rule.  Through these many years, the United States has grown into the most powerful nation in the world.  I believe that this has happened under the hand of God's blessing, in order to accomplish things in this world that would not have happened without the formation of this country of ours.  No matter your political views, you have to acknowledge that the United States has been a source of blessing throughout the world, bringing aid to countries in times of disaster, befriending nations whose own rulers have turned on them with slaughterous outcomes.  The United States has been a beacon of freedom, showing that people can live successfully without the need for tyrannical rule.   

I pray that we will remember what our forefathers envisioned...the land of the free and the brave.   A land that continues to understand the importance of freedom and a land that knows when that indefinable line has been crossed that causes us to take a stand to defend the weak and the helpless.

I pray that my grandchildren will grow up living as I have, knowing that they have the freedom to push as hard as they desire to achieve whatever goals they set before themselves.  I pray that they will not be robbed of the chance to achieve for themselves rather than depending on someone else to provide for their welfare.  Should they fall on hard times, I pray that they will have family, friends and fellow Christians who will help them through those times. 

I pray that I am being that kind of American today...looking out for the person who may need my help, my compassion, my spirit of generosity.  For I believe America was founded by those who cared more for others than for themselves, more for the people of the future than for their lives of the day. 

I pray that those in America who do not yet know Jesus Christ as their Savior will come into that relationship, for I believe when hearts are turned toward Him they are turned to love others in a way that cannot be duplicated without the Spirit of Christ---and that kind of love is what blesses the world.

God bless America!  And let us, in turn, bless this world to His glory!