Morning Devotional

July 3, 2005
"Independence Day, 2005" (Part 1)   
    by Don Emmitte

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But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they thought up a fresh question of their own to ask him. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" Jesus replied, "`You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:34-40 NLT).

The words of Jesus in our reading this morning detail the only two commandments Jesus gave his disciples. All the other instructions revolved around these. We are simply to live our lives loving God and others.

Independence Day in the U.S. is an annual holiday commemorating the formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the Fourth of July holiday has been accepted as the official anniversary of U.S. independence and is celebrated in all states and territories of the U.S. The holiday was first observed in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, at which time the Declaration of Independence was read aloud, city bells rang, and bands played. It was not declared a legal holiday, however, until 1941.

The closing words of the Declaration of Independence are: "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." They are high-sounding words, which carried great meaning for those who signed this document, however, I wonder if we understand them today?  In light of Jesus’ instructions, I want us to explore this wonderful document. Today, let’s look at the first phrase, And for the support of this Declaration.

The Declaration of Independence proclaimed the independence of the 13 British colonies in America and was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The declaration recounted the grievances of the colonies against the British crown and declared the colonies to be free and independent states. The proclamation of independence marked the culmination of a political process that had begun as a protest against oppressive restrictions imposed by the mother country on colonial trade, manufacturing, and political liberty and had developed into a revolutionary struggle resulting in the establishment of a new nation. It was not an easy transition. In fact, those who signed the declaration became hunted enemies of Great Britain.

The call of freedom overshadowed their fear of persecution from any source. That is the same call to us today. We have been given the opportunity to be free in Christ. Isn’t that worth any sacrifice on our part? In our call to freedom, we are told to love God and others. This is no less a daunting call than they faced in 1776. I hope that you will meditate on these things in the next few days amidst your celebration of Independence.