🇺🇸 How Should Christians Celebrate July 4th?
I absolutely love July 4th! The parties 🥳, the decorations 🇺🇸, the burgers 🍔, the FIREWORKS 🎆, all of it! I have so many good memories from my life of the day and I look forward to it all year long.
Most importantly, I love celebrating our country. I am so thankful and proud to be from and to live in the United States of America. This is not about politics. This is about celebrating the freedoms we have and honoring those who serve (or have served) to faithfully protect them.
Here are three things every Christian in America should do on July 4th.
- We thank God for a country that allows us to openly practice and propagate our faith. This is an amazing blessing from the perspective of the Gospel. In some countries, practicing Christianity is accepted but not propagating (evangelizing) others. In others, even practicing it is illegal. This freedom alone ought to be cause for Christians to thank God. And there are so many more!
- We PRAY! Pray everyone! Pray specifically for those who are in high positions in the country. The reason? So we can lead a peaceful and quiet life so we can advance the Gospel. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 explains what Christians should do when they think about their country saying: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of our God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
- We act as salt and light. In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus told us we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt is designed to act as a societal preservative, slowing decay, and making everything taste better! Light is designed to shine and be seen so others are drawn to Christ.
So what are your plans for July 4th? I pray that it is an opportunity for you to thank God for this country, to pray for our leaders, and to bond with neighbors as we practice being salt and light!
Happy 4th of July!
Pastor Kyle