We are blessed to live in a special nation, a nation formed in the key concepts of Liberty and Freedom. Where did these concepts come from in 1776? From the source of so many great human ideals, the source of life, liberty, and freedom. The source of happiness for all mankind. THE BIBLE.
Our founding fathers were nearly all Christians, of various denominations but clearly the majority were faithful Christians who lived by the principles and beliefs of and from the Bible.
Sad to say that these founding principles are losing ground and are being thrown out of our government and schools and public lives.
Today's first meditation is from F.B. Meyer, all about the most fundamental of all things - survival and keeping our lives going.
July 4
SERVING CHRIST AND SERVING MEN
"He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"-- Joh_6:5.
NOTICE THAT little pronoun We! As our Lord stood face to face with the vast crowd of hungry people, He might have said to His disciples, "What are you going to do?" He might have bidden them devise some way of meeting their hunger and weariness. Instead of that, He identified Himself with them, saying, How shall we do it? Is not that His way still? He knows the needs of the world of men, but He calls us into fellowship with Himself with respect to them, saying, This is a matter not for Me alone, not for you, but for us together. "I am the Vine, ye are the branches."
Whilst our Lord talked about buying bread, "He knew what He would do." Before His eye was the entire plan of the meal, of which He would be the Host, but He spoke of buying, that He might see what they would suggest, whether they would turn to Him in simple faith, or begin to meet the need according to their own ideas. They took the latter course. It is almost always the case, that when we are face to face with some emergency, we begin to calculate our ways and means. When we are tested, we take out pencils and paper, and begin to count up our resources, as the disciples did when they said: Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not enough, that every one may take a little!
Then it was that Andrew bethought himself of the little lad, whom he had seen in the course of the day. How proud and pleased the boy would be when they told him that Jesus wanted his little store. He gladly gave it up at the call of that Voice which had thrilled him with its accent.
How can we serve Christ, and what have we to give Him? Five tiny loaves and two small fishes do not look much in themselves, but He will take the poorest and simplest things, and make wonderful use of them for His glory and the blessing of men. It is wonderful how much Jesus will do with our lives, if we will only put them into His dear hands.
If you have no great gift to offer Him, you can bring the special power of doing one thing best, which every one possesses, and He will use you to arrange the people in orderly ranks, and to carry round the bread and wine of the Gospel message, offering it without money and without price.
PRAYER
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
AMEN.
The second is all about Freedom, from James Ryle:
July 4
This Amazing Freedom We Have Been Given!
"Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you." (Galatians 5:1, The Message).
Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." Why then is it that so many who preach and teach the truth seem so bound up with religious shackles? Not only that, they seem equally intent on seeing to it that others are as bound up as they are. What's that all about? It's about control.
There is something dreadful lurking in the hearts of men and women, which almost compels them to dominate and subjugate others to their will and whims. Be it political or religious, academic or economic, cultural or personal — there is an evil at work in the affairs of men that causes some to advance themselves by putting others down.....and keeping them that way.
This is not what Jesus came to do to us, nor did He teach us to do this to one another. In fact, in one of the most forthright statement in Scripture, Jesus says he "hates the deeds of the Nicolaitanes" (Rev.2:6). What does this mean? And who were these sorry people?
Their name comes from two Greek words; the first, nike, which means to conquer; and the second, laos, which means the people. Literally, it means to conquer the people. It means to dominate, intimidate, or manipulate; for the sake of holding control over them — and Jesus hates it. The word means to detest; to regard as abhorrent.
My dear friends, be done once and for all with any group of any kind that tries to put a yoke of slavery on you; for Jesus has set us free!
Take your stand in freedom — even if you have to lay down your life to do it!
Live each day in the glory that God has given to us, with all that you can surrender to God - all of you, everything about you - you soul, you mind, and your heart. Then you will truly be FREE.
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