file: /pub/resources/text/Our.Daily.Bread: db940704.txt
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OUR DAILY BREAD    Monday, July 4, 1994
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READ:  Psalm 100

                        GOD AND FREEDOM

           Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He
           who has made us, and not we ourselves;
           we are His people.

                       - Psalm 100:3

When members of the Second Continental Congress approved the
remarkable  document known as The Declaration of Indepen-
dence, they plainly declared their belief in God.  The
drafters of this noble proclamation knew that the sweeping
freedoms they were proposing could work well only in  a  so-
ciety where the Creator is acknowledged.  They affirmed that
God has "endowed" all people with the right to "life, liber-
ty, and the pursuit of happiness" because He values each of
us.

Thomas Jefferson, often erroneously called an agnostic, was
distressed by the injustice and sin he saw.  He wrote, "I
tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just."  If
he trembled then, he would have a violent seizure now!

America has been blessed because it was founded on biblical
principles.  But we are gradually losing our God-given free-
doms because society is denying that the Lord is God.  With
a growing refusal to acknowledge Him, it's no wonder violent
crime in the United States has climbed more than 75 percent
during the last 20 years!

True freedom can never be enjoyed by people who refuse to
fear God.  Let's pray for our nation and recommit ourselves
to living as God's people should.


Author:  Herbert Vander Lugt

        Every blessing in our nation
        Is a gift from God above,
        But we cannot know true freedom
        Till we trust His grace and love.  - Hess


THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
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Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Hosea 8-10

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