American Idol

Independence Day is usually a good time. Freedom. Fireworks. Frankfurters. Family & Friends. Fun. A time to celebrate our country, a nation with a grand and glorious history -- 233 years of independence, growth and leadership. An unparalleled example of democracy built on Christian principles. There has never been anything like it.
I am proud to be an American. This partly explains why, this year, July 4 has been bittersweet for me.
George Washington said, "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." Nearly every other founding father made statements reflecting this same belief. I do not have the space to print them all here, but their remarks are compelling.
As anyone who does not live under a rock can attest, our nation has been making steady progress further and further from our heritage. We are abandoning the principles that made us a great nation faster than high-speed internet service.
But it is not only the increasing separation of the State from God that upsets me. I'm upset by the fact that it upsets me.
"What?" you ask.
The United States of America has been an idol in my life.
"Okay...um...what?"
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines an idol as a representation or symbol of an object of worship : a false god : an object of extreme devotion.
Anything, or anyone, that I turn to other than God is an idol.
I confess that I have counted on the Constitution and our body of laws to save me. I have looked to our government and military to protect me from attacks by enemies. I have placed my hope in the stability of our form of government, of checks and balances and majority rule.
That foundation is no longer a surety. I have been examining the extent to which I place my trust in my nation and its leaders.
I have looked to my country to provide things only God can give. While I care deeply and am concerned about the direction our country is headed, I must not let it become a make-or-break issue for my life. I must count on God to provide what I need for life, no matter what the economy, judicial system or resident of the Oval Office is doing.
Don't misunderstand me. I would rather live in the United States of America than any other country in the world. In spite of all its flaws it is still, today, the best country on earth.
But I need to remind myself that my hope is in Christ, not the Constitution. I need to bury my head in the Bible and not the Bill of Rights. I need to seek comfort and protection in God's loving embrace and not in the folds of the American flag. I need to no longer put my faith in my government but in my God.
Turn with me from the comfort our standard of living affords to the peace that transcends all understanding. Phil 4:7 Turn from the pursuit of happiness and pursue the Creator of every good and perfect gift. James 1:17 America cannot offer the abundant life. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10
I offer my respect and loyalty to my country. I offer my love and my life to my Lord.