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"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also
eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."
(Philippians 3:20)
All followers of Jesus have dual citizenship. We are born into a particular nation and should be good citizens in the land where God has placed us. However, for Christians, our more important and permanent citizenship is in heaven, according to the Apostle Paul. There is an interesting part of Acts 17 in Paul's sermon to the Athenians when he says, "He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings" (verse 26). God determined when you would be born and where you would live. He is sovereign and places us where He wants us to be. My fellow Americans, have you ever wondered why you are so blessed to live in the USA? I know I am biased, but I truly believe this is the greatest country in the world. I love this country and am proud indeed to be an American. A friend of mine and I were talking about this subject one day, and his response was, "It is just the luck of the draw that we were born here." I disagreed with him and kindly pointed out that I believe God allowed us to be born in the USA, and we are blessed to be a blessing to others.
The following quote has been attributed to 19th century French author and historian Alexis de Tocqueville: "America is great because she is good." The quote does not appear in his work Democracy in America, and many believe he never said or wrote the statement. The quote appears to have originated from a book authored by British ministers Andrew Reed and James Matheson in 1835. They wrote, "America will be great if America is good. If not, her greatness will vanish away like a morning cloud."
Mr. de Tocqueville did write the following in Democracy in America: "Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith." I agree with him 100%! (His quote reminds me of our second president, John Adams, when he said, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.")
Yes, tensions are very high in our nation, and the political vitriol and divide are most palpable. To disagree with someone in an amicable or civil manner seems to be a lost art. In the vice-presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, the moderator read a question from 8th grader Brecklynn Brown from Utah who asked, "When I watch the news, all I see is arguing between Democrats and Republicans. When I watch the news, all I see is citizen fighting against citizen. When I watch the news, all I see is two candidates from opposing parties try to tear each other down. If our leaders can't get along, how are our citizens supposed to get along?" I thought that was an excellent question, and I like Mike Pence's answer when he referred to Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who, although they were very opposite in their political views, Pence said, "The two of them and their families were the very closest of friends. When the debate is over, we come together as Americans." Harris praised Brown, saying that her question represents "who we are and who we should be." (Source.)
As followers of Jesus, let us lead the way in being kind and good. In doing so, we are following the example of Jesus, and we are also helping in the preservation of our nation. Let us be good citizens in this land as we await the glorious return of King Jesus when He comes and takes us to our heavenly citizenship.
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