Although the 4th of July is not a religious holiday like Christmas or Easter, for many Americans it is a significant time to reflect on God’s goodness to us as a nation. Personally, I am eternally grateful for the men and women who have served in the military to preserve our freedoms over the years. It seems as though for many in America we have become complacent and undervalue the freedoms we enjoy at this time in history. Christians all across the United States of America are free to assemble and worship the Lord Jesus publicly any day of the week. Pastors are free to stand in pulpits and preach the gospel without fear of arrest, at least at the moment. Congregations are free to lift their voices in song with communal praise to our God. Churches are free to corporately pray and confess their sins. Christians are free to take communion at the Lord’s Table as we remember the body and blood of the Lord Jesus. As we see all over the world that there are many who are not lawfully granted such freedoms, they gather underground to worship God, not in the light of day or with the free exercise of religion that we have here, so as we pray for them, we must see the freedoms we have in America as a precious thing. Albert Einstein stated, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” This past couple of years has been a time like no other that I can remember. We are a world drowning in information while starving for wisdom. It has come to pass that we no longer live in the land of the free and we are no longer the home of the brave. Senator Rand Paul said, “The constitution was not written to restrain the citizens’ behavior, it was written to restrain the governments.” and for many of us we act like we are at war with one another more than the enemy that is working so vehemently in destroying us. Think about how quickly the entire country fell to its knees, and said to the government, “what do you want us to do?” The government answered quickly and told us what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and where to do it, and gave us strict consequences if we didn’t do it. While celebrating today, we need to remember the freedoms that we once had and all the blessings that came with it, and more importantly all of the lives sacrificed for us to have the freedoms that we have today. Freedom never came free, it was bought at a price. There is another freedom that we must remember by the ultimate sacrifice of the Lord Jesus upon the cross. This was not only for our country but for the entire world. It is written in *John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Brethren, we have the greatest freedom ever, by knowing the truth in the Lord Jesus. Today, may we reflect on the cross and what it really means to be free from the power of sin and death, and what true blessing it is to be a child of God and be Not Of This World. Happy 4th of July. Maranatha, Come quickly Lord Jesus. May the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all my BeLoved. In Christ Love, douglas. HE>i. pastord.blog

To any who are interested, please feel free to reach out to me with prayer requests, questions, encouragement, or for information on how to come alongside me with financial support for the ministry activities that God has entrusted to me at  pastord.blog@gmail.com or I do have a Zelle account associated with my phone number, 5202720387 last name Blaser. Thank you my Beloved for your ongoing prayers and support.