A Regatta in Geneva
by Frederick Dufaux
Americans have a blessed opportunity to be good citizens because their country was founded upon spiritual principles. God is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. (Isaiah 33:22)
For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.
Those who follow the Bible, whether here or on foreign soil, make the best citizens for any country when they live out the beliefs of being loyal to God's word, loving neighbor, and being good stewards of their property.
Anyone who fears the Lord will be a better citizen because his first loyalty will be to obey the commandments of God contained in the Bible. Men and women who become husbands and wives and train their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, will add to the security and peace of their country. They will bring up future citizens which will be a blessing to the country.
When people are good caretakers of their land and their money, and live good clean lives, they will contribute to the good name of their country. When they work honestly and work hard, they contribute to their country's prosperity. Loving their neighbor means that they will be guarding the safety of their own families and their friends.
When people trust in God for their provision and their protection, the country is blessed.
Father's Return Home
by Frederick Morgan
When men obey the scriptures to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, it creates good citizens for the future. When women guide the home and teach other women to love their husbands and train their children to obey and to know God, the whole country has better citizens.
A Father Reads the Bible to His Family, Including the Hired Help
One reason that Christians can be good citizens is because of the Bible's teachings that they are actually citizens of a better country, (heaven) that God is their King, and their passports are their conversions. Our citizenship is in Heaven, Philippians 3:20. There are many other scriptures which teach that a Christian's first loyalty is to the King whose law is the Word of God. When a person obeys that first, they automatically become good citizens in whatever earthly country they live.
Young Couple Reading the Bible
Taking care of your own property and being a good homemaker makes you a better citizen. A country is surprisingly known by the cleanliness and orderliness and hospitality of its homes. Christians are commanded to be hospitable and to be orderly and it is a blessing to any country to have followers of God as its citizens.
If you want to be really patriotic, then be a good citizen by being responsible for your own house and family. It makes home living more comfortable and adds to the beauty of your country.If you are concerned about your country, start with your own house and do what you can do within your own ability. Be a homemaker, homeschool your children, worship on the Lord's Day, obey the Gospel, pray often. This is the most patriotic thing you can do.
This is a favorite homeland song of many Americans, largely due to the noble words of selfless living and the invitation to God for His blessings. To those in the U.K., it is sung to the same tune as your "God Save the Queen." Verses have been changed, added or subtracted over the years, but here are some of the original stanzas:
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain;
For purple mountain majesty, above the fruited plain!
America, America, God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat ,Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved, And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrims feet, Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought By pilgrim foot and knee!
O beautiful for glory-tale Of liberating strife
When once and twice, for man's avail
Men lavished precious life! America! America! God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain The banner of the free!
O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again Thy whiter jubilee!
I wish our presidents would take heed to this. They like to separate their political decisions from the Bible's teachings. If they could be dependent upon to do what the Bible says, we could trust them more.
ReplyDeleteGood point: our leaders need to be better citizens!
ReplyDeleteLady Lydia, I just wanted to let you know that I have been so blessed by your blog tonight. I have read several of your posts and followed some of your links and I feel renewed. Thank you~~~
ReplyDeleteJust as God meant things to be.... families are the building blocks of society and how the husbands live for the Lord (or otherwise), and how wives honour their husbands and love their children (or otherwise) and how children honour their parents and grow up to be honourable citizens (or otherwise) determines what a nation is going to be like.
ReplyDeleteWe can look at our country (the UK) and see the evidence of this: the building blocks are weak, broken and bruised, and so the whole wall is crumbling.
What a great post.
Besides being a homemaker, homeschooling, etc, we can pray specifically, daily that our leaders will choose to live by and be guided by the commandments of God.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, LadyLydia!
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you!
Homeschool on the Croft:
ReplyDeleteI always check your blog on the 4th to see what you are doing. You have such great ideas. I never thought of signing the Declaration!
Scots have always had a fierce sense of independence and it is because of their contribution that we have the history we have. There is a book called "born to fight" which tells of the Ulster Scots participation in the freedom of America in the early days.
We had our own parade at home, dressing in costumes and marching across the lawn with all the children and adults. Last year we had our own float, made using a wagon. Fireworks are made from mylar and tinsel papers. Check out www.thepleasanttimes.blogspot.com for some of the other things.
nations are only as strong and good as their families.
ReplyDeleteHomeschool on the Croft: I always check your blog on the 4th to see what unique ideas you have. I never thought of signing the Declaration ...we had our own parade across the lawn, dressing in costume and using home made "fireworks" from mylar and metallic papers. Check the Pleasant times on my blogroll to see more.
ReplyDeleteMrs. V. Thank you. I hope you will post again and let me know which posts you like, as I will add them to the favorite posts list.
Being a good citizen in the kingdom of God (the Lord's church) makes you a better citizen in whatever earthly country you live. Governments should welcome Christians, for they are the salt and light that make a country worth living in.
ReplyDelete