The noted French writer, Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831, famously said: "I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests--and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning--and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution--and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!"
 
This was said a long time ago...It seems to me today that if we want to Make America Great Again then we had better Make America Godly Again! This primary aspiration should trump all other considerations!
 
The Bible says, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).
 
We need to realize once again a long-forgotten truth regarding our liberty as a nation and it is that our freedom comes from God. Even our 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."  This is to say that the rights we enjoy are not given by government but by God. The sacred responsibility of government is to protect these God-given rights.
 
Furthermore, our freedom is rooted in our character not in our constitution. John Adams said, "We have not government armed with power, capable of contending with human passions that are unbridled by morality and religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
 
Adams teaches us that our constitution only works over time for a righteous people. In 1787 George Washington said, "The propitious smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right that heaven itself has ordained."
 
Our forefathers were right on this subject and our current leaders need to get it right on this subject. If we want to Make America Great Again then we had better go beyond slogans and get serious about our moral responsibility. This dream of greatness will not be fulfilled among us until we Make America Godly Again! This should be our serious and humble prayer before our Maker in our coming 4th of July commemoration. Dear Lord-may it be so!
 
Devotedly yours,
Pastor Ron