My Country, ‘Tis of Thee…
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psa 33:12) And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. (Exo 12:14)
Today is Memorial Day in America. We pause to remember those who gave their lives in defending our nation since we wrote the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. Since that day, we have found it necessary to maintain a strong military power to defend our nation. It began costing us blood right away. We have also aided many other nations in their quest for freedom, partly for their sake and partly for our own self-interest. It has been to our advantage to leave troops in other nations after a war. That is expensive.
A story has circulated that sometime after World War II, President Charles DeGaule notified the U.S. that he wanted all the U.S. military to leave France as soon as possible. Our Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, asked him: “Does that include all the U. S. soldiers who are buried in your cemeteries?” That was the end of the story.
Not long after NAZI Germany had surrendered and our soldiers began coming home by the thousands, someone posted in the newspaper: “If you can read, thank a teacher. If you can read in English, thank a soldier.” The reason for this statement is that for some time we did not know who was going to win World War II. There was a possibility that NAZI German flags could be flying over our nation’s Capital and our post offices. As a youngster, I remember the talk of the older heads who weren’t sure how the war was going to end. There was also great fear that Japan would land thousands of Japanese soldiers on the beaches of California. Yamamato convinced Japanese war lords that American citizens were too well-armed for Japan to think about invading California.
America is the greatest nation in economic, technological, and military power in the history of the world. We were founded as a Christian nation, according to the U.S. Supreme Court, (Holy Trinity vs U.S.,1892). The Court took several years to examine many official documents. Our founding fathers understood that they were founding the “Great Experiment” in liberty to see if a nation could govern itself without an all-powerful monarch. John Adams, one of the leading founding fathers, said: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. So far, our form of government has out-lasted all others that tried to govern themselves.
But, it began costing blood right-away. George Washington, our first President was a praying man and a Bible-reading man. I’ve twice visited his home and his study where he laid an open Bible in a chair and covered it with his big hands morning and evening. Of all the American presidents, more books have been written and continue to be written about George Washington than any other president.
William Tecumseh Sherman is credited with the “War is hell” statement. He is the general who marched through the south and burned Atlanta. The statement has been quoted by many other military writers who know of nothing worse to say about war.
America seems to have lost its knowledge of our text today: Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psa 33:12)
From my earliest days in school, we were taught “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” It was easier to sing than our national anthem, but we sang that too. Then, there was America the Beautiful. During WW2 Kate Smith was a national radio voice who began singing God Bless America and it went (as they say today) viral! We didn’t know the verses but the chorus was easy to sing. It’s still a favorite.
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MAY 29, 2017 – MONDAY
A.M. 1Chron 26-27 P.M. John 11:18-46
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)
Two Songs for Today:
My Country ‘Tis of Thee (2:44) (Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTnOWvx-4q4
This Land is Your Land (4:28) (Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzpH3ZrLSEM
(Wait several seconds. You may have to delete an ad.)
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psa 33:12) And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. (Exo 12:14)
Today is Memorial Day in America. We pause to remember those who gave their lives in defending our nation since we wrote the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. Since that day, we have found it necessary to maintain a strong military power to defend our nation. It began costing us blood right away. We have also aided many other nations in their quest for freedom, partly for their sake and partly for our own self-interest. It has been to our advantage to leave troops in other nations after a war. That is expensive.
A story has circulated that sometime after World War II, President Charles DeGaule notified the U.S. that he wanted all the U.S. military to leave France as soon as possible. Our Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, asked him: “Does that include all the U. S. soldiers who are buried in your cemeteries?” That was the end of the story.
Not long after NAZI Germany had surrendered and our soldiers began coming home by the thousands, someone posted in the newspaper: “If you can read, thank a teacher. If you can read in English, thank a soldier.” The reason for this statement is that for some time we did not know who was going to win World War II. There was a possibility that NAZI German flags could be flying over our nation’s Capital and our post offices. As a youngster, I remember the talk of the older heads who weren’t sure how the war was going to end. There was also great fear that Japan would land thousands of Japanese soldiers on the beaches of California. Yamamato convinced Japanese war lords that American citizens were too well-armed for Japan to think about invading California.
America is the greatest nation in economic, technological, and military power in the history of the world. We were founded as a Christian nation, according to the U.S. Supreme Court, (Holy Trinity vs U.S.,1892). The Court took several years to examine many official documents. Our founding fathers understood that they were founding the “Great Experiment” in liberty to see if a nation could govern itself without an all-powerful monarch. John Adams, one of the leading founding fathers, said: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. So far, our form of government has out-lasted all others that tried to govern themselves.
But, it began costing blood right-away. George Washington, our first President was a praying man and a Bible-reading man. I’ve twice visited his home and his study where he laid an open Bible in a chair and covered it with his big hands morning and evening. Of all the American presidents, more books have been written and continue to be written about George Washington than any other president.
William Tecumseh Sherman is credited with the “War is hell” statement. He is the general who marched through the south and burned Atlanta. The statement has been quoted by many other military writers who know of nothing worse to say about war.
America seems to have lost its knowledge of our text today: Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psa 33:12)
From my earliest days in school, we were taught “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” It was easier to sing than our national anthem, but we sang that too. Then, there was America the Beautiful. During WW2 Kate Smith was a national radio voice who began singing God Bless America and it went (as they say today) viral! We didn’t know the verses but the chorus was easy to sing. It’s still a favorite.
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MAY 29, 2017 – MONDAY
A.M. 1Chron 26-27 P.M. John 11:18-46
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)
Two Songs for Today:
My Country ‘Tis of Thee (2:44) (Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTnOWvx-4q4
This Land is Your Land (4:28) (Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzpH3ZrLSEM
(Wait several seconds. You may have to delete an ad.)
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