| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Enjoy the journey by redeeming the time” Our Bible verse for today: “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:21 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Be a good Christian citizen” Yesterday at Oak Hill Baptist Church I preached a sermon entitled “The Christian Citizen”. It was based on the premise that as Christians we are called by God to dual citizenship – in the kingdom of God and in the kingdom of man, and we are to be good citizens of both. The Apostle Paul affirmed our citizenship in heaven in Philippians 3:20 when he said, “but our citizenship is in heaven”. In Matthew 22:21 Jesus alluded to our dual citizenship and the responsibilities we have in each. I encourage you to go to our website at www.oakhillbaptist.net, or the Oak Hill Baptist Church Facebook page, and watch that sermon. Much of it is about the greatness and the goodness of our nation, and therefore it’s an appropriate sermon for the Fourth of July. We know what it means to be a good citizen in the kingdom of God, but many Christians struggle in their attempts to balance that with being a good citizen of the nation we live in. Beyond that, many Americans are discouraged by the things that are happening in our nation today and they find it difficult to be proud of America. I’m not one of them. While I do disagree strongly with much of what is happening in our land today, America is still the greatest nation in the world and I’m intensely proud to be an American. I have long been a strong and outspoken advocate for the concept of what is known as “American Exceptionalism”. The phrase simply affirms that America is exceptional among the nations of the world – and that is a very good thing (for America and for the world). That’s not bragging, and it’s not meant to in any way demean or be critical of any other nation. Other nations are exceptional too, in their own ways. But not like America. When it comes enjoying the journey through life by redeeming the time (the moments of life), I thank God that He has allowed me to live in this nation rather than in any other, and at this time in history rather than any other. Despite all our problems, I love living in America and I enjoy the American journey. Today is the Fourth of July. I encourage you to take a few moments to thank God for the gift of this nation of ours and by all means, be proud to be an American. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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