Hi y'all! I hope y'all are liking this, because I love it! Never in a day have I spent three hours studying God's word like I did yesterday and today probably!
7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
8. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
9. Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
In verse seven Paul tells Timothy that God has not given us the spirit of fear. What is the spirit of fear? What is fear? In short, fear is an emotion, and you feel afraid. Dictionary.com defines fear as a "distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid." I think that is the kind of fear Paul is talking about here, not a holy fear, not a fear of God. So Paul says that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but we are afraid sometimes, if God did not give us a spirit of fear, then how do you explain that? Well, there is good fear and bad fear. Good fear is like a fear of heights, if you were not afraid at all of heights then you might be careless on top on something high and fall off. And example of a bad or useless fear is like being afraid of what you will eat tomorrow, you are not trusting in God if you fear that. For God said not to worry what we shall eat or what we shall wear, because since God feeds the sparrows and clothes the lilies, will he not clothe us since we are more important then them? That is the kind of fear that Paul is talking about to Timothy.
What is the opposite of fear? Courage. So if God did not give us a spirit of fear, then we should be courageous. It takes courage to be a Christian, it really does. If you are a Christian then you probably dress, act, talk, and behave differently than non-Christians. To do that, you have to have courage, because you might get teased, ignored, ridiculed, and in some countries, thrown in jail or even killed. So Paul is probably trying to get Timothy ready for what might happen to him later in life, also in the next verse you will see that Paul talks about his being a prisoner, but tells Timothy not to be ashamed. The next part tells us what God did give us spirits of; power, love, and a sound mind. The spirit he talks about is the Holy Spirit. "And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you." Acts 1:8
Power. A Christian must have the power to cope with being ridiculed, persecuted, and killed. So God helps us. He gave us the spirit of power so that we can "do all things through Christ which strengthens me."* We must keep the faith. We must trust God that He knows what is best. The commentary that I am using for this study says it really good, "A Christian is characteristically the man who could pass the breaking-point and not break."
The next one is love. I am not sure if Paul is meaning right here to love other believers (the brethren) or his enemies, Paul knows that God wants us to love everyone, even our enemies, but I am not sure which Paul means in this verse, and I don't know if Timothy was having any problems loving the brethren or his enemies. But, in William Barclay's commentary, he says that in this verse Paul is talking about love for the brethren. So we will just go with that. We must love each other as Christ loved us, Christ loved the church so we should do likewise.
The last one is a sound mind. In a different version, it says self-discipline. What does it mean to have a sound mind? I think that a sound mind ties in with what we talked about yesterday in verse five when Paul is talking about Timothy's unfeigned faith. To be at peace in your mind, to know what you believe. But it is also put "self-discipline." What is self-discipline? Well, what is discipline? It can mean either punishment or training. So self-discipline is punishing yourself or training yourself. I think Paul is talking about both at the same time! He is saying that God gave us the power to know when we are doing something wrong and correct ourselves, and that God gave us the power to train ourselves to do something. For example, if you shoplift anytime you can, and you know it's wrong, then you have the power to control yourself and stop shoplifting, and in punishing yourself, and getting a clear conscience you have the power to go tell the police and/or the store owner(s) what you have been doing. And now, training yourself. For example, you can train yourself to get up at six o'clock every morning to read your Bible and pray. It will become a habit before long, and you will have trained your mind to set of the alarm at exactly six every morning. Another great example for self-discipline that my Dad thought of, is fasting. To fast something you have to control your desire to eat, do, or use that certain thing. You can fast food, computer, cell phone, sugar foods, etc. All it is is not eating, doing, or using a certain thing so that you can pray and read God's word.
Now verse eight. Paul talks about two things in particular in this verse; the first one is not to be ashamed. He tells Timothy not to be ashamed of the "testimony of our Lord." Or, in another version, "do not be ashamed to bear your witness to our Lord."He is saying that we should not be ashamed to tell others about Jesus Christ. We should be proud to know our Savior personally! We should tell others about Him without being ashamed. It is like having your best friend from school, grow up and become president of the United States, and then be ashamed to admit that he is your best friend.
Then Paul tells Timothy not to be ashamed of him; right now, Paul is a prisoner and criminal in the eyes of most, because he proclaimed the Word of God. Barclay puts it well in his commentary. He says, "For Timothy, it meant loyalty to a man who was regarded as a criminal, because as Paul wrote he was in a prison in Rome." Just put yourself in Timothy's place. He loved Paul, but Paul was a prisoner, a criminal in the eyes of non-Christians. If you are the friend of a criminal, then you are looked down upon; and Timothy did not want that. But Paul tells him not to be ashamed of him, for whatever happened to him, Paul knew it was God's will. He just had to get Timothy to understand that.
Paul says next to "be thou a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." And in the other version it is put, "but accept with me the suffering which the gospel brings, and do so in the power of God." Paul is simply telling Timothy to accept and partake of sufferings and afflictions that the gospel brings. Paul says clearly that the gospel brings sufferings and afflictions, just like in the beginning of verse seven. In being a Christian, you will face trials and afflictions and sufferings, but God helps us through!
The last part of the verse says "according to the power of God," or "and do so in the power of God." We will obviously not be alone in our sufferings, even if we are not around other Christians, God is with us, and Jesus Christ, his son, already went through pain and sufferings to give us eternal life. God will never leave us, nor forsake us. Isn't that a wonderful thought?! I know it gives me peace, and the courage to go on.
And that brings me to the last verse we will do today. Verse nine starts by saying, "who saved us, and called us with a holy calling." Who is Paul talking about? Christ Jesus! He saved us and then called us to go preach the gospel to everyone!
"Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace." We cannot earn our way into heaven, Christ Jesus had to come down from heaven to die for us wretched sinners. We cannot do anything, say anything, or earn our way into heaven. So God sent his only Son down to earth to live a perfect life, so that he could be that perfect, spotless lamb, and die in our place. Wow. Read that again. Think about it for a minute. Can you imagine God coming down to take our place? That is so amazing! If God did not come down and die for us, then we would all go to hell, we would have no way to get to heaven. Or, if Jesus sinned one little time on earth, if He fell into temptation, then he would not be able to save us, because he would have to pay for his own sin. The verse says that not by works can we get into heaven, but only "according to his own purpose and grace."
Then the last part of the verse, "which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." So, God already had his huge, ultimate, plan ready long before he sent Jesus to earth. It was purposed, it wasn't an accident. It also says, by His grace. I had a children's church teacher once that told us the meaning of grace. He said it was: God's Redemption At Christ Expense. In other words, God redeemed us and Jesus Christ paid the price.
Well, that's all for today, at least for now. :) Feedback is very welcome, as usual!
*Philippians 4:13, by Paul.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
2nd Timothy study, Part 2
I am adding a commentary to my tool box (i.e. Bible, pencil, notebook, the help of the Holy Spirit), "The letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon," by William Barclay. Here is the scriptures for today. You can see how much Paul hates ending sentences! lol
Appeal for Faithfulness
3. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
4. Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy:
5. when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
6. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
In verse three Paul says that he thanks God "whom he serves with a clear/pure conscience." What does it mean to have a clear/pure conscience? It means that you know that you are clean, you know that you have done nothing wrong. But Paul was a sinner like the rest of us, how could he have a clean conscience if he was a sinner? Because he knew that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for his sins, that He died in his place. That is what Jesus did for everyone who believes. He died so that we could live forever in heaven! That is the reason why Paul can honestly say that he serves God with a clear/pure conscience. Paul also says that he serves God "from my forefathers," what does that mean? Well, in a different version it puts it as, "I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience, as my forefathers did before me." Who is he referring to as his "forefathers?" I think he might be referring to our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If not that, then maybe his father, grandfather, and/or great-grandfathers, believed in the Messiah. I am not so sure of this myself. Next he informs Timothy that he is in his prayers every day, night and day; without ceasing, Paul says, he remembers Timothy. That must have been really encouraging to Timothy to know that Paul was interceding in prayer for him.
In the next verse Paul makes it quite clear that he can't wait to see him! All of us have at least one person in this world that we love and care about so much that we just want to be around them, Paul was the same way. He and Timothy were so close that he called him "son," and really wanted to see him again. The next part of this verse is sort of confusing, it says: "...being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy." Why would Paul be happy if Timothy was sad? I was very confused about this 'til I read it today in a different version in the Barclay commentary, it put it this way, "remembering your tears when we parted, I never cease to yearn to see you, that I may be filled with joy." Do you cry when someone you love leaves for a long time? I do. I cried a lot when my Dad went overseas to fight in the war. It hurts to see someone you love leave you. It was the same with Timothy, he loved Paul so much that he cried when he left. But Paul says that he remembers Timothy's tears, and wants to be with him again so they can both be happy. So three times or more in the book of 2nd Timothy, Paul urged Timothy to come see him.
Paul next writes about Timothy's faith. He calls Timothy's faith "unfeigned." What does unfeigned mean? According to Dictionary.com unfeigned means genuine and true. So Paul tells Timothy that he has a genuine and true faith. If you had any doubts about your faith wouldn't you love for a strong Christian friend to tell you that they thought your faith was genuine? Paul says that he calls to remembrance Timothy's unfeigned faith that is in him, then he goes on to say that Timothy's Grandmother Lois and mother Eunice shared his faith. So most likely Timothy was brought up in a believing household. At the end of that verse Paul writes: "and I am persuaded that in thee also." In the commentary it is put, this faith, "I am convinced, dwells in you also." Paul clearly states that he thinks that Timothy's faith is genuine, that it dwells in him, that he really, truly believes it. Paul has that firm confidence in Timothy, he believes in him. That must have given Timothy an awesome sense of peace, and happiness, to know that his "father" Paul believed in him.
The last verse I am going to cover today is verse 6. In it Paul tells Timothy that "thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands." In the commentary it puts it as: "That is why I send you this reminder to keep at white heat the gift that is in you and which came to you through the laying of my hands upon you." So the in the first part Paul reminds Timothy to stir up the gift of God that is in him, to use it for God's purpose. In the other version it says "to keep at the white heat the gift that is in you." Why "white heat?" White heat is probably referring to fire, a very hot fire, a white flame. So, Paul is telling Timothy to keep his fire burning, "to keep at white heat the gift that is in you." What do you have to do to keep a fire burning? Well, you usually have to tend it. You have to work on it so that it will keep going. I think that is what Paul is trying to get at, he is trying to tell Timothy to keep his fire blazing, to use his gift for good, not just let it sit around and go to waste. To "stir up" is the same thing, to stir something up what must you do? Move! Do something! If you are making a cake you can't just put the ingredients in the pan and throw it in the oven. yuk! You have to mix them up, to make one batter, not just a bowl full of ingredients. So Paul is telling Timothy to "stir up" his gift, to use it for the glory of God, not just let it sit around doing nothing. The next part of the verse says, "which is in thee by the putting on of my hands." huh? I don't know for sure what he means by that, but what I think is: Paul led Timothy to Christ, he was like his father; when someone puts their hands on someone else in church what are they usually doing? Praying for them. So, as his "father" Paul probably spent a lot of time praying for Timothy. But God gives gifts, not people. How could Paul have given Timothy a spiritual gift? He didn't. He asked God to grant Timothy a gift, because he loved him so much, but he knew that God loved Timothy much more than he ever could.
Well, that wraps up part two. I would love to hear your opinions on this set of four verses that I wrote about today! I am human, you are human, I am definitely not always right, even though I sometimes think so. :P Thanks for reading! God bless! ~Buttercup
Appeal for Faithfulness
3. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
4. Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy:
5. when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
6. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
In verse three Paul says that he thanks God "whom he serves with a clear/pure conscience." What does it mean to have a clear/pure conscience? It means that you know that you are clean, you know that you have done nothing wrong. But Paul was a sinner like the rest of us, how could he have a clean conscience if he was a sinner? Because he knew that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for his sins, that He died in his place. That is what Jesus did for everyone who believes. He died so that we could live forever in heaven! That is the reason why Paul can honestly say that he serves God with a clear/pure conscience. Paul also says that he serves God "from my forefathers," what does that mean? Well, in a different version it puts it as, "I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience, as my forefathers did before me." Who is he referring to as his "forefathers?" I think he might be referring to our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If not that, then maybe his father, grandfather, and/or great-grandfathers, believed in the Messiah. I am not so sure of this myself. Next he informs Timothy that he is in his prayers every day, night and day; without ceasing, Paul says, he remembers Timothy. That must have been really encouraging to Timothy to know that Paul was interceding in prayer for him.
In the next verse Paul makes it quite clear that he can't wait to see him! All of us have at least one person in this world that we love and care about so much that we just want to be around them, Paul was the same way. He and Timothy were so close that he called him "son," and really wanted to see him again. The next part of this verse is sort of confusing, it says: "...being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy." Why would Paul be happy if Timothy was sad? I was very confused about this 'til I read it today in a different version in the Barclay commentary, it put it this way, "remembering your tears when we parted, I never cease to yearn to see you, that I may be filled with joy." Do you cry when someone you love leaves for a long time? I do. I cried a lot when my Dad went overseas to fight in the war. It hurts to see someone you love leave you. It was the same with Timothy, he loved Paul so much that he cried when he left. But Paul says that he remembers Timothy's tears, and wants to be with him again so they can both be happy. So three times or more in the book of 2nd Timothy, Paul urged Timothy to come see him.
Paul next writes about Timothy's faith. He calls Timothy's faith "unfeigned." What does unfeigned mean? According to Dictionary.com unfeigned means genuine and true. So Paul tells Timothy that he has a genuine and true faith. If you had any doubts about your faith wouldn't you love for a strong Christian friend to tell you that they thought your faith was genuine? Paul says that he calls to remembrance Timothy's unfeigned faith that is in him, then he goes on to say that Timothy's Grandmother Lois and mother Eunice shared his faith. So most likely Timothy was brought up in a believing household. At the end of that verse Paul writes: "and I am persuaded that in thee also." In the commentary it is put, this faith, "I am convinced, dwells in you also." Paul clearly states that he thinks that Timothy's faith is genuine, that it dwells in him, that he really, truly believes it. Paul has that firm confidence in Timothy, he believes in him. That must have given Timothy an awesome sense of peace, and happiness, to know that his "father" Paul believed in him.
The last verse I am going to cover today is verse 6. In it Paul tells Timothy that "thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands." In the commentary it puts it as: "That is why I send you this reminder to keep at white heat the gift that is in you and which came to you through the laying of my hands upon you." So the in the first part Paul reminds Timothy to stir up the gift of God that is in him, to use it for God's purpose. In the other version it says "to keep at the white heat the gift that is in you." Why "white heat?" White heat is probably referring to fire, a very hot fire, a white flame. So, Paul is telling Timothy to keep his fire burning, "to keep at white heat the gift that is in you." What do you have to do to keep a fire burning? Well, you usually have to tend it. You have to work on it so that it will keep going. I think that is what Paul is trying to get at, he is trying to tell Timothy to keep his fire blazing, to use his gift for good, not just let it sit around and go to waste. To "stir up" is the same thing, to stir something up what must you do? Move! Do something! If you are making a cake you can't just put the ingredients in the pan and throw it in the oven. yuk! You have to mix them up, to make one batter, not just a bowl full of ingredients. So Paul is telling Timothy to "stir up" his gift, to use it for the glory of God, not just let it sit around doing nothing. The next part of the verse says, "which is in thee by the putting on of my hands." huh? I don't know for sure what he means by that, but what I think is: Paul led Timothy to Christ, he was like his father; when someone puts their hands on someone else in church what are they usually doing? Praying for them. So, as his "father" Paul probably spent a lot of time praying for Timothy. But God gives gifts, not people. How could Paul have given Timothy a spiritual gift? He didn't. He asked God to grant Timothy a gift, because he loved him so much, but he knew that God loved Timothy much more than he ever could.
Well, that wraps up part two. I would love to hear your opinions on this set of four verses that I wrote about today! I am human, you are human, I am definitely not always right, even though I sometimes think so. :P Thanks for reading! God bless! ~Buttercup
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
2nd Timothy Study, Part 1
Okay, I couldn't wait! So here goes!
2nd Timothy, chapter one, verses one and two, being the introduction.
The second verse tells us to whom Paul the apostle is writing, Timothy; or Timotheus. Paul says next: my dearly beloved son. Did he have a son? No. Was Paul even married? No. Then why does Paul say: my dearly beloved son? It was probably because they were both followers of Jesus Christ, and felt like family, and/or because Paul was kind of like a father to Timothy. He had probably taught him a lot about God, and encouraged him to come into the ministry. (I know that some people have studied Timothy and found out more about him, but I don't know much of anything about him, so please just bear with me!) Next, Paul says: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Note that Paul says, our Lord. So, it shows that they have a common faith. That they both believe the same things. What are your thoughts on this verse?
What I would advise y'all to read is Acts 9:1-22, the conversion of Paul. Paul had a unique experience in being introduced to his Savior. The first 22 verses of Acts 9 tell how Paul was showed mercy by God, and went from a big persecutor of the Church to someone who died for God. Really an amazing story of transformation!
2nd Timothy, chapter one, verses one and two, being the introduction.
- Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
- To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
The second verse tells us to whom Paul the apostle is writing, Timothy; or Timotheus. Paul says next: my dearly beloved son. Did he have a son? No. Was Paul even married? No. Then why does Paul say: my dearly beloved son? It was probably because they were both followers of Jesus Christ, and felt like family, and/or because Paul was kind of like a father to Timothy. He had probably taught him a lot about God, and encouraged him to come into the ministry. (I know that some people have studied Timothy and found out more about him, but I don't know much of anything about him, so please just bear with me!) Next, Paul says: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Note that Paul says, our Lord. So, it shows that they have a common faith. That they both believe the same things. What are your thoughts on this verse?
What I would advise y'all to read is Acts 9:1-22, the conversion of Paul. Paul had a unique experience in being introduced to his Savior. The first 22 verses of Acts 9 tell how Paul was showed mercy by God, and went from a big persecutor of the Church to someone who died for God. Really an amazing story of transformation!
VBS over
Sorry, sorry, sorry! I forgot to tell y'all how VBS went!!!! O.k, well, it was great! I really enjoyed it! Lots of kids came, and had fun, and more importantly heard about God, and Jesus, and why he had to die on the cross to save us. It was awesome! I can't wait 'till next year!
2nd Timothy Bible study
Hey Y'all! Thanks for you telling me what you like best! I was actually very happy to see that some people liked my ranting! Anyways...
This afternoon, for my Bible reading, I read 2nd Timothy. It is only four chapters long, but really awesome! It tells us not to be ashamed of God, to be an example to others, that God has not given us a spirit of fear, and much more! I have been wanting to do a study on a book of the Bible on here for a long time, but I did not know which one to do first. Now I know, and I think this will benefit both me and you all.
I hope to do one chapter a week, in one or more posts, but with school and just random things that come up, I don't know if I will be able to do it every week. But, we will see. :) I will be using and quoting the King James Version of the Bible, and probably using Bible Explorer, which is a computer program. Another thing, is that it probably won't be too deep, I mean, I don't have all the time in the world, and I have not gone to seminary or anything! Y'all have to understand that this is coming from a regular teenage girl! lol
And, please pray for me, as I study this book, and try to get my thoughts on it down on here; I decided that I would do this in the last few hours, so I am jumping in pretty fast, but I think that God had me read it today for a reason, for His ultimate purpose. Thanks, y'all!
Oh, and btw, please tell me what you think about this! I love to hear from my readers! As if y'all didn't know that already! :P
This afternoon, for my Bible reading, I read 2nd Timothy. It is only four chapters long, but really awesome! It tells us not to be ashamed of God, to be an example to others, that God has not given us a spirit of fear, and much more! I have been wanting to do a study on a book of the Bible on here for a long time, but I did not know which one to do first. Now I know, and I think this will benefit both me and you all.
I hope to do one chapter a week, in one or more posts, but with school and just random things that come up, I don't know if I will be able to do it every week. But, we will see. :) I will be using and quoting the King James Version of the Bible, and probably using Bible Explorer, which is a computer program. Another thing, is that it probably won't be too deep, I mean, I don't have all the time in the world, and I have not gone to seminary or anything! Y'all have to understand that this is coming from a regular teenage girl! lol
And, please pray for me, as I study this book, and try to get my thoughts on it down on here; I decided that I would do this in the last few hours, so I am jumping in pretty fast, but I think that God had me read it today for a reason, for His ultimate purpose. Thanks, y'all!
Oh, and btw, please tell me what you think about this! I love to hear from my readers! As if y'all didn't know that already! :P
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Poll: What is your favorite thing I post?
Please pick one, and tell me which one you picked in a comment. :)
1. Pictures
2. Scripture
3. Quotes
4. my own ranting =P
5. Crafts
6. Giveaways
7. evidence for creation
8. puzzles and riddles
9. Any other. If you pick this one, please tell me what exactly you like best. :)
I would really appreciate if y'all did this! It will help me decide what to post.
Thanks!
1. Pictures
2. Scripture
3. Quotes
4. my own ranting =P
5. Crafts
6. Giveaways
7. evidence for creation
8. puzzles and riddles
9. Any other. If you pick this one, please tell me what exactly you like best. :)
I would really appreciate if y'all did this! It will help me decide what to post.
Thanks!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Vacation Bible School
VBS at our church starts today! I am so excited! I have been waiting for, like, a month! The VBS theme we are doing is Upward Bound, so it is like, hiking and camping kind of stuff. So, if y'all would pray that it goes smoothly, and that lots of kids come, and hear about God; that would be awesome! I would really appreciate your prayers! Thanks!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Independence Day
I just want to begin by saying, Happy Independence Day!
Why did we want to be independent? So we could freely worship God. Who came to America? Only English? No. America is made up of English, Polish, Germans, Italians, Africans, Indians, Norwegian, Russian, etc, etc, etc. But, even though American is made up of people from all ends of the earth, we became one people....
What are we free to do that some people are not? Well, there are a ton of answers to that question. We are free to decide for ourselves, chose our own education, raise our own families the way we feel right, decide our own futures, free to express our own opinions, to live where we want, and most importantly, free to worship God, read and study the Bible, and tell others about Him. In most countries, you can't build/go to a church, you can't own a Bible, you can't witness freely to others, without going to jail or getting killed. In America, we are free to go to church, there are churches everywhere here! In America, we are not only free to own a Bible, we can own as many as we want! In America, we are free to witness to others, without getting killed or thrown in jail, but do we use that freedom? Do we fellowship with other believers on other days than just Sunday? Do we read and study our Bibles daily, or even weekly? I know I can't say yes to those questions truthfully. Can you?
Independence Day, the 4th of July, in 1776 we declared our indepenence, we were independent from England, we wanted to be independent so we could worship God, but do we? Do we use the freedom that our fore fathers fought with their lives for? They said "In God we Trust," but do we? In my opinion, God should not only be in the center of our lives, our homes, and our schools, but God should be in the center of the hearts of Americans.
The 4th of July is the day that we not only play with and/or watch fireworks, eat watermelon, and have fun; it is a day to remember the our forefathers, and when the United States broke away from the rule of Great Britain/England. On July 4th 1776, we, the United States of America, declared our independence! We were one nation under God! Independent from England. Free to worship our God!
Why did we want to be independent? So we could freely worship God. Who came to America? Only English? No. America is made up of English, Polish, Germans, Italians, Africans, Indians, Norwegian, Russian, etc, etc, etc. But, even though American is made up of people from all ends of the earth, we became one people....
What are we free to do that some people are not? Well, there are a ton of answers to that question. We are free to decide for ourselves, chose our own education, raise our own families the way we feel right, decide our own futures, free to express our own opinions, to live where we want, and most importantly, free to worship God, read and study the Bible, and tell others about Him. In most countries, you can't build/go to a church, you can't own a Bible, you can't witness freely to others, without going to jail or getting killed. In America, we are free to go to church, there are churches everywhere here! In America, we are not only free to own a Bible, we can own as many as we want! In America, we are free to witness to others, without getting killed or thrown in jail, but do we use that freedom? Do we fellowship with other believers on other days than just Sunday? Do we read and study our Bibles daily, or even weekly? I know I can't say yes to those questions truthfully. Can you?
Independence Day, the 4th of July, in 1776 we declared our indepenence, we were independent from England, we wanted to be independent so we could worship God, but do we? Do we use the freedom that our fore fathers fought with their lives for? They said "In God we Trust," but do we? In my opinion, God should not only be in the center of our lives, our homes, and our schools, but God should be in the center of the hearts of Americans.
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