Independence Needs Dependence

Spirit of 76 - www.wikipedia.org

On July 2, 1776, in a secretive meeting set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence proposed in June 1776, by Richard Henry Lee. A committee of five men, with Thomas Jefferson as primary writer, compiled a document known to us as the Declaration of Independence.

According to http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html, “What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy [of individual liberty] in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.”

This historical document signed by 56 founding fathers bore the title:  In Congress, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America. By this, we declared our independence from Great Britain.

In a letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams wrote, “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty…”

He was right, however our nation embraced the date of the document, July 4, 1776, for this memorial and in a few days, America will celebrate its 238th Anniversary of Independence.

Independence on the one hand seems good, but it cannot be sustained. There is interconnectedness between independence and dependence, because at the dawn of creation, God said it is not good for man to be alone. Therefore, although independent, we remain dependent. We need each other and we need God. Ecclesiastes 4:12 confirms this, “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

Almighty God must be our third strand. In Psalm 62, King David expresses his dependence. “Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved…My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him…Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him… Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.”

 

4th of July Fireworks - www.wikipedia.org

God blessed America’s independence from the mother country, but only as we have remained dependent upon Him. The further our nation strays, the less of God’s protection and blessing we possess. It is the same for us as individuals.

Believers. above all, know and trust what Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” We are the body of Christ needing each member. Nevertheless, we will fail if we attempt to do anything for eternity without Jesus. Moreover, America will fall without Him.

I know apathy, complacency, humanism, atheism, and perversion plague our country and it may just be a sign of the times. But believers are still here. We are the ones empowered by the Holy Spirit, responsible for spreading the gospel, through which God can bring change. So let’s pray our nation quickly returns to the Lord, in truth and fully depends on the Holy One of Israel.

Have a Happy 4^th of July Celebration!