By: D. A. Slinkard
The Fourth of July is upon us and this day symbolizes another birthday of the greatest nation known to man. It is hard to fathom the amount of blood, sweat, and sacrifice that has made our everyday living possible, from the birth of our nation all the way to the year 2019. Our country has been able to overcome many things, and I believe it is by the grace of God we have the opportunity to live in this great nation. Our freedom is not free, as it comes at a cost. The next time you see a soldier, whether active, inactive or retired, I urge you to thank them for their service.
I do not believe that we, as a country, show enough gratitude to the men and women in our military. Every day we wake up we should be giving gratitude to God Almighty who IS in Heaven, and we should be showing gratitude to our military for the FREEDOM we enjoy. I do not believe anyone of us could imagine how different our lives would be without God and our military. In fact, I believe we have become a nation that has been lulled to sleep when it comes to our desperate need for God and our desperate need for our military. We take for granted what could be lost in the blink of an eye.
I write these things because I see our country drifting further and further away from the Christian beginnings upon which we were founded. I think of the scripture 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven; and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” This is straight out of God’s Word and I believe His Word to be true, but we are living in a time in which it seems one no longer believes he/she needs God.
I could not imagine living a life without the realization of my need for my Saviour. Yet here we have more and more people growing colder toward the Spirit of God and growing closer to living in the flesh. I wonder what our forefathers would think of the direction the United States of America has moved towards. I still scratch my head at the people who think socialism is a great idea. I cannot help but wonder what is wrong with these people who believe the government is going to meet their every need. We have the greatest technology around us, yet we still have these people who cannot seem to realize the dangers of what socialism does and the negative impact it has on a country. Look no further than Venezuela.
It is time we take heed to what God instructs us to do. It is time we humble ourselves. It is time we pray to God and seek His face. It is time we turn from our wicked ways, such as the millions of lives lost in the murdering of innocent babies. It is time Christians live out the values we are to embody. I immediately think about 2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
I read this scripture and the part that really stood out to me was that we, as Christians, should depart from the iniquity in our lives. We are the greatest nation known to man, but it is time we turn our way of thinking back towards God. And just like the scripture says, I believe that God will heal our land. If we can get back to the basics, I do believe we can see the change needed in our country. The politician or the government will not make things better for you. We keep searching for the answer when, truthfully, the answer has been here the entire time. In fact, the answer was here when the world was created, not by some big bang or explosion, but when God spoke the world into existence.
The next time you think about the Fourth of July, I hope you realize there is more to it than just fireworks, hotdogs, and hamburgers. Our freedom is by the grace of God and the military we have protecting our country. Thank you for your service.
By: D. A. Slinkard
D.A. Slinkard is the manager of the Athens Staples store
