#1778 (11/24) HAPPY THANKSGIVING! - "Thankful for Our Republic"

"THANKFUL FOR OUR REPUBLIC" - Tony Perkins, Washington Update, November 22, 2016; http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA16K24&f=WU16K08

Millions of Americans will gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving this week. In a constitutional republic such as ours, it seems especially appropriate that a federal holiday is set aside each year for the sole purpose of giving thanks. Even if the Pilgrims had never gathered with Chief Massasoit's tribe to feast and give thanks all those years ago in Plymouth, it would seem wrong not to officially recognize the extraordinary blessings that this great country has enjoyed over the course of its young history. After all, it is our great privilege to be part of a country founded on these immortal words: "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."

What's more, Americans should be eternally thankful for the wisdom possessed by our Founding Fathers, who, rooted in their Christian belief that there is no king but Jesus, instituted a form of government that requires the political leaders to be elected by the people. This means that no single president, administration or Member of Congress can govern without the approval (or disapproval) of the people.

The election two weeks ago was another stirring reminder that the American people are anything but predictable. With virtually every mainstream media outlet and almost every poll predicting a liberal victory, voters chose a different path. In what felt like an overnight seismic shift, the people placed a new party in the White House and gave one party unified control. As we have made clear over the last two weeks, this election is a God-given opportunity to right some of the wrongs done to life, natural marriage, and religious liberty over the last eight years. This reprieve that the Lord has given is all the more reason to be particularly thankful this year.

With this great democratic power that the American people have comes great responsibility, and it won't work without a moral foundation. As a Founding Father and our second President John Adams said, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Here at FRC [Familiy Research Council], we are keenly aware that this wonderful democratic experiment we call America would crumble overnight if it were not held in place by the sovereignty of God Almighty. That is why we are here in Washington, to further the cause of Truth that He has laid out for us in public policy and the culture.

In a certain sense, the primary reason to be thankful for our Republic is that it allows us to live in a monarchy. In other words, we are called as Christians to live completely in the service of Christ the King. We need to let him be the King of every aspect of our lives, which in turn means that He must be King over every aspect of our society. This is the beauty of America -- the freedoms we enjoy in this country allow us to attempt this wonderful mission in the first place.

Therefore, America has much to be thankful for [this Thanksgiving.]

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

"Thanksgiving: A Uniquely American Holiday" - Melanie Kirkpatrick / November 22, 2016 / http://dailysignal.com/2016/11/22/thanksgiving-a-uniquely-american-holiday/?D