Flag

This email was written in 05-08..We had just gotten back from a trip to NY to see my son Tom and his wife Rebecka. It still holds truth that I continually need to be reminded of. As we enter into this holiday weekend...decorated with red white and blue, busy with plans and cookouts and shared times with family and friends...let us not forget the reason that we celebrate this time ....it is becasue of freedom. A freedom that was fought for...and embraced with true grit. We, as individuals have been given freedom to act and do as we please...thus effecting our families, our schools, and our nations We are called by God above to act in righteousness....have we done that? Have we stood up for what is right when we should have or have we continued to let things slide from a focus on Godly values to a focus on worldly ones. It is much easier to follow a crowd than to be a leader ...but as children of a king....we are called to behave in honor, and in dignity and in truth. We say we are patriotic but what have we DONE and what are we doing to prove it....proof begins with who we have founded our thoughts on...and then how we have acted upon those thoughts .

I stood there back, to the water, and looked up at the Statue of Liberty...I couldn't help but notice the people who were moving about around me. They represented so many countries and cultures and walks of life....and yet here we all were satisfying the curiosity of seeing a historical landmark which is a universal symbol representing freedomand democracy. And then when I walked away from the monument towards a huge open plaza, there it was, in the center, the American flag, flying high on its pole....all on its own....as if it were the true spotlight of attention. Liberty was carrying her flame...but the flag was waving in freedom. I couldn't help but think of the freedomthat we do share in this country....and also the faith of God in our founders.

Their strong and committed beliefs in the divine and holy God were the core of their establishment of this country....and oh, how we have allowed our country to deviate from those basic beliefs. For as our country has grown and folks from all of the world have gravitated to our country because of the freedomand democracy and opportunity....they too have brought their strength of their cultures. And in the midst of so many changes, we have found ourselves no longer able to sit back and accept our rights to a God established, God fearing, God centered, God honored country...we have to fight for it. For we are one nation under God....not gods...plural. Our Patriotism has been diluted and we have taken for granted our privilege of living in the United States of America....and are little by little acquiescing from the very core for which it was established.

War is being raged in every area of our lives....the media, the schools, the churches, the government, the families...and individual morality. And God, I know is calling us to stop being complacent and stand up and fight for our country...the one he has given us to live in. We don't have to put on a uniform and join a service...we are already commissioned to be in an army...God's army. And all we can do is attack that enemy that is in our face...and attack that enemy with the strength of God himself. Do what God would have you do...Do what is right. That which is righteous in the eyes of God. It will take guts to stand up when everyone else around you is following with fear of being humiliated or making waves or being different from the pack. But we have to have those guts....I am the first to back off and let someone else handle the hard stuff...but there was something that hit my gut when I saw that American flag moving in the wind...standing all alone in the middle of that huge open space. And then to have the bold and beautiful monument representing liberty and democracy in the background....it really is an emotional feeling that goes to your heart. Oh, how we are blessed.

We no longer can sit back...or we are going to loose the very freedoms that we have....because our voice is being overshadowed by louder voices...just think about it...think about it in terms of religion, or morality, or what we hear on the radio or see on the television...or the core value of the leaders we elect to represent us. We must not take prayer as an option, we must make prayer a requirement. A personal requirement that we each adhere to., Not counting on the person next to us to get the praying done...but be the leader that instigates the prayers for our country, beginning in your own heart.

It is so easy for us to pray and ask God for health or victory or success or family matters, or personal dilemmas or material things...but we forget to pray for our country and our leaders. I am guilty of this more than anyone. But there was something about that American Flag at the monument...it was flying beautifully in the wind...and waving to and fro with such grace....but it was tethered....to a solid pole. This is how our country should be...tethered to God yet flying gracefully in freedom....We are losing our tether...

I ask, as you read this to pray for our country...not next time you sit down and pray but right now....pray that God's hand would be upon it...even though we have taken prayers out of our schools, and left abortion on the battlefield along with same sex marriages...etc. Pray for this upcoming election...that God would tether the heart of the politicians so that they would hold on to Godly values and not earthly ones..to see things GOD'S way....I truly believe that nothing is too hard for God.....even this. For we need not only ask God for His hand of mercy and grace but also fight for what we know is right in His eyes when he gives us a window of battle. A battle is merely a battle...a one little piece of a raging war...but if we all fight the battles that are falling at our feet then we can make a difference. For each battle won is a piece of our country that we give back to God....May he take those pieces and give us peace. I sit here thinking "united we stand"...and we are so far from being united....things have gotten so complicated...and voices that are not of God seemed to have taken precedence over what is right in the eyes of God.

Psalm 47:8
God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.

I would be remiss if I didn't include a sincere appreciation for those who arein uniform and are fighting everyday for the safety of our country. They have given up their freedoms and sacrificed being with their families, the comforts of home, and many have ultimately sacrificed their lives. We are indebted, beyond words, to these fine men and women who have made a stand for our country and have fought for what is good and honorable. Bless them Lord, and bless their families who they have left behind. Give them strength when they are weary, and protection when they are in the midst of terror, and comfort when their hearts are heavy....and peace when they are surrounded by unsettled places and times. They are the heroes of today! ....As they fight the wars in lands far away, may we too be fighting the battles that we find in our backyards and in our homes.

Dear Lord, Please have mercy on our country...let your hand be upon us and may we recognize your nudges. When you see that there is something that we can be doing, to come along side you, and make a difference for your glory....let us do it! May we accept your strength to fight the battles that are before us...and be confident that every battle for what is right is worthy.... May you, Lord be continually honored in all that we do. Bless our nation Lord...please....and keep us safe from terror. Amen

I pledge allegiance- I promise to be true
to the flag- to the symbol of our country
of the United States of America- a country made up of fifty states and several territories, each with rights of its own
and to the republic- a country where the people elect representatives from among themselves to make laws for them.
for which it stands- the flag represents the country
one nation under GOD- a country whose people are free to believe in God
indivisible- the country cannot be split into parts
with liberty and justice- with freedom and fairness
for all- for every person in the country


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance
Last Sunday, February 1, 1954, the President of the United States (Eisenhower) and his family occupied the pew where Abraham Lincoln worshipped. The pastor, the Reverend George M. Docherty, suggested the change in our Pledge of Allegiance (to add UNDER GOD) that I have offered [as a bill]. Dr. Docherty delivered a wise sermon. He said that as a native of Scotland come to these shores he could appreciate the pledge as something more than a hollow verse taught to children for memory. I would like to quote from his words. He said, 'there was something missing in the pledge, and that which was missing was the characteristic and definitive factor in the American way of life.' Mr. Speaker, I think Mr. Docherty hit the nail square on the head.

Senator Homer Ferguson, in his report to the Congress on March 10, 1954, said, "The introduction of this joint resolution was suggested to me by a sermon given recently by the Rev. George M. Docherty, of Washington, D.C., who is pastor of the church at which Lincoln worshipped." This time Congress concurred with the Oakman-Ferguson resolution, and Eisenhower opted to sign the bill into law on Flag Day (June 14, 1954). The fact that Eisenhower clearly had Docherty's rationale in mind as he initiated and consummated this measure is apparent in a letter he wrote in August, 1954. Paraphrasing Docherty's sermon, Eisenhower said

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!
website:
www.cathyjodeit.com
email address: cjodeit@gmail.com
The blog link below has all devotionals from the beginning of the year:

http://simplygod-cathy.blogspot.com/