Surrender!

Surrender to the forces of the world? Never! Surrender to our Lord Jesus? Always! As we take up our cross daily, we also surrender our will daily to our Lord Jesus Christ. Does this get any easier as we grow in Christ? I believe that to be true. Whether it is from a more obedient heart or we just get more and more help from the Holy Spirit, I cannot tell yet. Maybe it's both.

This weekend we celebrate our independence as a nation. Independence is a good thing, under God. Without obedience to God, we are not independent at all. Without God as our Lord, we are enslaved to sin and lost. The Lord God our Father raises up nations, rulers, and governments. He also brings them down. Some would have us be independent of God, but I see no hope in that. Either we choose to believe in Jesus and all that He says, or we are no good to the world. Without Christ we are just another empire that had its time and is in decline, a dying tool for the Antichrist to use in building his new Babylon. With Christ we can be that city on a hill the Pilgrims hoped for, the shining light to the world Jesus commissioned, and a haven to the persecuted. Can we ever get there? Is America lost?

Many of God's children live here. We pray for our nation and our rulers. We pray for God's will to be done and that He will see the right president elected next year. We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We pray that all Americans would receive the good news of Jesus. We have believed in Jesus our Lord, and in Christ we stand. We place our hope in Christ Jesus and pray for the strength to do the next right thing. For we know that the best nation can only be built from the best citizens, and the best citizens know that one nation under God is the best place to live. < p /> Happy Independence Day!
Bucky