The Thursday Update

JULY 3, 2024

Lakeshore Friends—

As we get ready to celebrate Independence Day tomorrow on July 4th, this special holiday means many things to different people.  For some, it’s a day to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy here in the United States of America.  For others, it’s a day filled with parades, family cookouts, and fireworks.  And still for some, it’s simply a day off from work. 

Independence Day is really a day to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.  This was the day that the thirteen colonies declared to the world why they regarded themselves as independent sovereign states who were no longer subject to British colonial rule.

One of the most famous statements from the Declaration of Independence says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

I love this statement because while the document declares our independence from Great Britain, the authors recognize our dependence on God – the creator of all of mankind, who are all equal in His sight, and all have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  They knew that without God, none of this would be possible, and as history has shown us, the natural inclination of the human heart is to strip people of these unalienable rights.

This Independence Day, I want to encourage you to give thanks to God for the men and women throughout American history who have fought for our independence as a nation.  In addition, I hope you will pause and tell God how dependent you are on Him for everything including the freedom from the bondage of sin through His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. 

Happy Independence Day,
Frank D.