God Bless the USA

At 8:00 Sunday morning as I drove the short distance from our home to the church parking lot, as I approached the cemetery on the west side of our church building and saw the cemetery lanes lined with flags blowing in the wind, I became once again thankful that my God allowed me to be born in America, a country that was based on the idea of individual freedom. As I have read the thoughts of our founding fathers, I am confronted with the realization that the larger the government grows, the more power it has. And the more power it has, the less freedom individuals have. Thus, our founding fathers initiated the idea of the government being operated by the people and not the government running the lives of the people. Our founding fathers believed that not a king nor a group of individuals should become a tyrant over the people's will. Sadly, things have changed since those early days of our country's history. For instance, in Iowa seven nonelected judges have imposed their will over the people's representative's and over the will of the people. And this is happening all across the nation. Still, I am thankful to be an American. I am grateful for our country's history, and for the freedoms that we still enjoy. The Scripture says, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." I pray that America's present leaders will turn to the One in whom our original leaders placed their trust. I thank God for those who have made significant sacrifices--sometimes ultimate sacrifices--in order to preserve our freedoms. I pray that there never comes a day when their sacrifices are rendered futile. God bless America and God bless you. Pastor Mike