A motto of the American Revolution directed against the tyrant King George III was simple and direct: "No King but King Jesus!"

Our Founding Fathers gave us our National Birth Certificate. We continue to be the longest ongoing Constitutional Republic in the history of the world. Blessings such as these are not by chance or accidental. They are blessings of God.

On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to approve a complete separation from Great Britain. Two days afterwards—July 4th—the early draft of the Declaration of Independence was signed.

On July 8, members of Congress took that document and read it aloud from the steps of Independence Hall, after which the Liberty Bell was rung. Leviticus 25:10, was inscribed on the bell and most appropriate for the occasion: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof."

To see the turmoil in other nations, their struggles and multiple revolutions, and yet to see the stability and blessings that we have here in America, we may ask how has this been achieved? What was the basis of American Independence? John Adams said, "The general principles on which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity."

The clearest identification of the spirit of the American Revolution was given by John Adams. He said, "This day will be the most memorable epic in the history of America. I am to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations. The day should be commemorated in a manner and with a specific spirit. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."

John Adams believed that the Fourth of July should become a religious holiday—a day when we remembered God's hand in deliverance and a day of religious activities when we committed ourselves to Him in "solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."

Love Pastor Carol