The Flag and Our Banner

Since September 11, 2001, and the terroristic attacks against the United States, Flag Day has taken on greater meaning.  June 14 is the anniversary of the official adoption of the American flag by the Continental Congress in 1777 as Flag Day.  Celebrations on this day gained in popularity in the eighteen hundreds.  In 1894 the governor of New York ordered that the American flag be displayed at all public buildings.  President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first nationwide Flag Day in 1916 and in 1947, President Harry Truman signed legislation requesting that National Flag Day be observed annually.

The U.S. flag contains 13 red and white stripes which represent the original 13 colonies.  The 50 white stars on a blue background represent the current 50 states comprising the USA.  The colors of the flag are symbolic.  White signifies purity and innocence; red, hardiness and valor; and blue, vigilance, perseverance, and justice.  The stars, stripes and colors of the flag is why it is sometimes referred to as: “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “The Stars and Stripes”, “The Red, White and Blue”, or “Old Glory.”  For Americans, the flag represents all the above.

Not only do Christians stand under the American flag, but they have a special banner flying over them.  That banner is none other than God’s love.  The Bible says, “He has taken me to the banquet hall, and His banner over me is love” (Song of Solomon 2:4). The Scriptures further state:

1)      God loves people so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

2)      We can have a positive relationship with God because of His gracious act of love. “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (I Peter 3:18).

3)      Being part of God’s forever family is based on receiving and believing.  “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

4)      Living with God eternally has been made possible because of Christ. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The American flag should cause us to well up with loyalty and allegiance to our country.  God’s banner over us (His love) should also cause us to well up with gratitude and thanksgiving for His involvement in our lives and the many blessings He provides.

Stop and Remember

Memorial Day is a day for remembering those individuals who have died in our nation’s military service. Throughout the Bible the people of God were encouraged to remember what God had done for them.  The Bible says, “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done” (Psalm 105:1-6).  The eleven bold-faced, underlined, action words (or group of words) in this biblical reference suggest ways to remember.  Maybe it is time for you and me to stop and remember by using one or more of these action steps during the Memorial Day weekend.  Regarding Passover, a major Jewish holiday, they were told, “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come” (Exodus 12:14).

You and I can (and should) use Memorial Day as a day to continue to celebrate our freedom and remember the many who fought and died for us.  As we celebrate, we can honor their lives and praise God for the many blessings we enjoy as a result.  Remembering brings us back to the reality of the dedication of the many military men and women who stood strong for us.  Remembering should also stir in us a sense of gratitude and appreciation, as well as strengthen our resolve to do our part in serving God, country and others.  At a family gathering you may want to stop and remember and then offer a prayer of thanksgiving.  Above all, take time to show honor and respect for those who served our country or are still serving.

Praising God

Many people praise God, but most who do so have not thought about praising Him in places other than where they go to worship.  Obviously, the church, synagogue, or temple is a place to praise the Lord.  However, we need to be aware that we can, and we should, praise God anywhere and at any time.  Generally, praise is the expression of warm approval or admiration of someone or for something special they have done.  Christian praise is considered an expression of gratitude and respect towards God because of His goodness and the blessings He has provided for us.

The six verses of Psalm 150 expand on Christian praise. They explain a lot to us about praise and help us understand aspects related to the worship of God.  In this Psalm we learn the following:

1)      Places to Praise the Lord.  We are told that we should praise God “in His sanctuary” and “in His mighty heavens” (verse 1).  Although we may often think of praise as happening in a church building, praise can be expressed to God anywhere in the whole earth where God has displayed His power.

2)      Things for which to Praise God.  The psalm identifies “His acts of power” and “His surpassing greatness” as things for which to praise God (verse 2).  God orders and controls all the forces of nature and His divine power stands behind His greatness.

3)      Instruments with which to Praise God.  Many different instruments can be used for bringing praise to God (verses 3-5).  A few of the nine instruments noted in these verses include “trumpet, harp, strings and cymbals.”  It is important to remember that the praise is not in the instruments themselves, it is in the hearts of the people who use these and other instruments as they worship the Lord.

4)      Persons and Things should be United in Praise to God.  “Everything that has breath” should be involved in praising the Lord (verse 6).  If you have breath, you should use it to express your praise to the wonderful God who created you.

The Psalmist concludes Psalm 150 by saying, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” (verse 6).  Maybe it is time for all of us to evaluate our expressions of praise to God including how, where and with what we offer our gratitude and show our respect to Him.  Are you ready to praise the Lord?

Action Permeated With Thanks

People take different kinds of action every day.  Some action is the result of a habit – like brushing teeth.  Some action is planned – such as taking a much-needed vacation.  Other action transpires in the spur of a moment – for example, when a new idea comes to mind on which a person decides to act quickly.

Some action is general in nature, some could be characterized as evil and other action as godly.  Godly action – that which pleases God – can be found in the Bible.  Every time scripture states a command, people can be assured that God wants them to take that specific action.  One God-pleasing action found in the New Testament in the book of Ephesians is the giving of thanks.  The Apostle Paul explains this action when he says: “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

This 17-word sentence clarifies the things that should permeate the action that needs to be taken all year long, but particularly during the Thanksgiving season.

1)    Giving thanks should be perpetual – “always.”  The text says that giving thanks is something that should be done at all times - not just once during the Thanksgiving season and then forgotten.  Thanks should be given continually, constantly, and repeatedly. 

2)    Giving thanks should be divinely focused – “to God the Father.”  Thanks is often given to people who have done something nice for someone else.  Of course, these people need to be thanked, but thanks should also be directed toward God.  He should be the object of thanksgiving.

3)    Giving thanks should be comprehensive – “for everything.”  Thanks is not complete unless it includes thankfulness for all things. Grant Richison said, “All things includes both bane and blessing, adversity and benefit, for the small and the big. We give thanks for the miserable things, the things we cannot understand, as well as the good. In other words, we surrender to the will of God no matter how it hurts. Only a Spirit-filled person can do this.”

4)    Giving thanks should be spiritually qualified – “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  In other words, thanks in the name of Jesus represents everything that characterizes Christ as well as all that He has done for mankind including providing salvation and eternal life.

Warren Wiersbe, an American Christian clergyman, said, “The word gratitude comes from the same root word as grace.  If we have experienced the grace of God, then we ought to be grateful for what God brings to us.”  Let’s let our thanksgiving permeate at that we do both now and throughout the year.