A Citizens Responsibility

America has enjoyed an abundance never before known among nations. And make no mistake; the things we have had were blessings … blessings from our Heavenly Father. They did not come by man’s hands, nor did they “just happen that way.”

Since yesterday was Independence Day, I think it only appropriate to talk about America; how she was founded, where she gets her blessings; and what we must do in return for what we have been given.

Let me begin by asking you:

1. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM AMERICA?

If someone were to ask you what you wanted in life, among the first things you would think of is happiness, the freedom to do things you want, and the rights to be secure and safe. These are the things you want from America.

Everyone wants to be happy, don’t they? You want to be happy and you want your children to be happy, too. We even want our neighbors to be happy, because nobody likes being around unhappy people.

We also want the freedom to come and go as we please; the freedom to choose the things we want in life. And the freedom to pursue those things through higher education, hard work, or mental ingenuity.

And, we want to feel safe and secure. We do not want to live our lives knowing somebody is out to get us, or we have to hide and stay in the shadows. And we want the same for our children and our children’s children.

America, the land of the free, and the home of the brave. But we must remember that there is an old saying that is true: “Nothing is free.” If we want our nation to give us these things, then we must be willing to give something back to our nation. But what could we possible give to America in return for what she has given us?

For the last two generations, we have failed to teach our children that with every freedom, with every liberty, with every blessing, comes an accountability to be responsible for them. That when we ignore personal responsibility, we encourage disorder and chaos. So we must realize what we want from America, and then decide what we are willing to give back to America.

So as we ask what it is that we should expect from America, we need to ask:

2. WHAT CAN AMERICA EXPECT FROM YOU?

I think it was best said by President George Washington:

‘I now make it my prayer that God would keep you, the leaders of this new nation, in His holy protection. That He would incline the hearts of the citizens to be obedient to government, to entertain a brotherly love for one another, and finally that He would most graciously be pleased to have us show love mercy, charity, and humility. And that He would make us be temperate of mind, having the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, without which, we shall never hope to be a happy nation.’

I believe it is okay to want our nation to give us what we want in the form of freedom, liberty, and abundance. But I also believe that in exchange for these things, it is our explicit duty to help keep our country safe. That includes going to war when necessary, and getting involved in government as Christians so we can influence and effect policies that would allow our government to continue depending on God’s leadership.

My question to you is this: As a Christian, do you think you should do any less?

For instance, let’s go back and revisit the first Constitutional Convention, where delegates were fighting against time to develop this new nation’s precepts. These men were so frustrated at not being able to agree on a Constitution that they were all but ready to throw the whole idea out and forget it. But, it was during this upheaval of spirit, that one older man with white hair stood up, calm and deliberate. That man was Benjamin Franklin, and this is what he said:

‘Gentlemen, if it is true that not one single petal from a flower falls to the ground without escaping God’s attention, will the distress of this nation go unnoticed by Him? Let us therefore determine to seek His face.’

These men did something that would cause many legal challenges today. They immediately put down their pens and all got on their knees in prayer. When they got back on their feet, the slogan ‘E Pluribus Unum’ was born. “One Out Of Many.”

In the Living Bible, EPHESIANS 4:4-6 says,

’As believers, we are all parts of one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. For us, there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and we all have the same God who is over us all and in us all, and living through every part of us.’