For Generations to Come

Rev. Greg Morrow, Pastor

First Baptist Church

July 31, 2013

I have sought to remember the cause of freedom and liberty throughout this month of Pastor's columns. So often significant dates, like the 4th of July, come and go without any thought given to posterity. National holidays get us to thinking about great people from the past, like Washington, Adams and Jefferson. But perhaps it is also helpful for us to remember that great men such as our Founding Fathers also were thinking about us. Would the nation survive? What kind of people would Americans become long after the passions of the American Revolution had cooled?

George Washington, the Father of our Country, wrote a farewell letter to the nation upon his departure from office. It has become known as George Washington's Farewell Address. In it, he spoke of many things, including warning against the extremism of political parties, foreign entaaanglements, and the essential need for checks and balances in government. But among the most important insights included by the first President were his thoughts on religion and morality. Washington believed, as did all of the Founding Fathers that the practice of religion and the resulting presence of morality were critical to the national wellbeing. Washington wrote, "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens ..." His thoughts, although ignored by many, remain as true today as when they were first written.

David, the great King, wrote in Psalm 33:12, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord ..." His son, Solomon said in Proverb 14:34, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." So often we celebrate holidays and then move on quickly to whatever comes next. I trust that perhaps this year will have been different. May we remember the hopes and dreams the founders had for generations to come, for we are now the caretakers of this great experiment. May it be said that we were more interested in God than gold. May it be said we were more concerned for righteousness than riches. Pray for your nation, and practice the kind of patriotism that buttresses the props of true religion and morality.