Devot. I Am The United States of America

 Hi Folks,

I hope you had a good 4th of July with family and friends!
Below are 2 Independence Day devots. and a neat, but short story on the Declaration of Independence.  I found it on our church's bulletin and I'm not sure who wrote it, but it is a neat reading. 

Have a blessed weekend!

(Devots. used by permission.  Taken from https://www.icr.org/)

Devot. Glorious Liberty

https://www.icr.org/article/2079

Devot. Are You Still Free?

https://www.icr.org/article/are-you-still-free

I AM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

“I was born on July 4, 1776, and the Declaration of Independence is my birth certificate. The bloodlines of the world run in my veins, because I offer freedom to the oppressed. I am the United States of America.

I am 330 million living souls and the memory of millions more who lived and died for me. I am Nathan Hale and Paul Revere. I stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard around the world. I am Washington, Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. I am John Paul Jones, Daniel Boone, and Davy Crockett. I am the Gettysburg Address and Abraham Lincoln standing for the freedom of all men.

I am the Brooklyn Bridge, the wheat fields of Kansas, and the granite hills of Vermont. I am the coal mines of West Virginia and Kentucky; the Golden Gate, and the Grand Canyon. I am Constitution Hall and the Washington Monument.

I am a vast land! I sprawl from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. I am 3,531,905 square miles, throbbing with industry! I am 2,100,000 farms that produce the food that feeds my millions of citizens. I am forest, field, mountain, and desert. I am quiet villages and cities that never sleep.

You can look at me and see Benjamin Franklin walking down the streets of Philadelphia with a loaf of bread under his arm. You can see Betsy Ross with her needle and thread. You can see the lights of Christmas and hear the strains of “Auld Lang Syne” as the calendar turns to begin a New Year.

I am Babe Ruth and the World Series. I am Peyton Manning and Tom Brady battling it out in the Super Bowl. I am Michael Jordan taking the final shot! I am the hundreds of thousands of schools and colleges, and 380,000 churches where people are free to worship God as they wish. I am the most recognized flag in the world, waving proudly all over my land. I am a ballot dropped in a box, the roar of a crowd in a stadium, and the beautiful voices of a choir in a cathedral.

I am Eli Whitney and Stephen Foster. I am Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and Albert Einstein. I am Henry Ford, Will Rogers, and the Wright Brothers. I am Memorial Day parades in every town, Friday nights on the high school football field, and parents cheering for their Little Leaguers on Saturday.

Yes, I am the land of opportunity. I was conceived in freedom, and God willing, in freedom I will spend the rest of my days. The whole world looks to me for help, guidance, and encouragement when trouble arises. I am the land of the free and the home of the brave, a citadel of freedom, and a beacon of hope to the world.

“More than a decade ago, a Supreme Court decision literally wiped off the books of fifty states statutes protecting the rights of unborn children. Abortion on demand now takes the lives of up to 1.5 million unborn children a year. Human life legislation ending this tragedy will some day pass the Congress, and you and I must never rest until it does. Unless and until it can be proven that the unborn child is not a living entity, then its right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness must be protected.” (Ronald Reagan)

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth." (Ps. 139:14-15)