Good morning, and a most blessed Thursday to you.

I want to share some Scripture with you as we begin our time of devotion this morning.

First, from Psalm 73:25–26:

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

And from Psalm 74:16–17, speaking to the Lord:

"Yours is the day, yours also the night; you established the luminaries and the sun. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made summer and winter."

Notice how the psalmist writes of and to the Lord—truly ascribing to Him all that is His. He owns everything. He rules over everything.

As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day tomorrow, July 4th, it's a fitting time for us as Christians to pause and appreciate the incredible blessings God has given us: the time and place in which we live, and the people with whom we share our lives. Yet even as we celebrate, we should remember that true independence is an illusion. And for that, we should be incredibly thankful.

Because in truth, we are dependent—completely dependent on God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It is God who has created all that surrounds us.
It is God who provides for our every need.
It is God who gives us every heartbeat and every breath.

It is God who provides the community in which we live, the people we live with, our shelter, our work, our education, and even our recreation. He provides everything related to our life this side of heaven.

But more importantly, it is God—and God alone—who provides for our eternal life, to which we’ve been called.

You and I are blessed to be citizens of this nation, the United States of America. It is a privilege to live where we do, when we do, and with whom we do. But all of this is for God's purposes, for His glory, and ultimately for our good. Still, our time here is but a single moment in all of eternity.

When we zoom out and look at the grand narrative—the God story—we see that today is just a small piece of a much bigger picture. Our lives are eternal, and for our eternal life, God has given us everything we need. Most of all, He has given us Himself.

He has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ.
Jesus, the perfect man—fully God and fully man—entered into creation to live a sinless life, die a horrid death, and in that exchange, take on our sin and give us His righteousness, so that we may live eternally with Him.

The Bible speaks of our true citizenship in Philippians 3:20:

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

Our ultimate allegiance does not belong to any earthly nation. Our citizenship belongs to God. And through His grace, your place in heaven is secure.

So while we enjoy and give thanks for the blessings God has given us on this side of heaven—our country, our freedom, our community—we must always remember and rejoice that our true home is with Him. And in His perfect time, He will call us home to be in His presence—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—where every day will be a glorious celebration.

Let’s pray:

Lord Jesus, we thank You so much. We thank You for providing the way into our true home—our true place of belonging. Help us to recognize the many blessings You provide us with each day, this side of heaven. Keep our eyes open and our hearts grateful.

Teach us to praise You. Teach us to live in full dependence on You. May we seek Your will and glorify You in all that we say and do. Help us speak of Your goodness, so that others may come to know their true citizenship in heaven as well.

Lord, use us this weekend as we gather with family, friends, and neighbors—whether at a barbecue, picnic, or pool party. Use us to proclaim the good news of eternal life, the forgiveness of sins, and the grace given through Jesus Christ our Lord. For Your glory and our joy, we give You praise.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Have an amazing rest of your weekend. Be safe, and I look forward to worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with you this Sunday. God bless you!

Pastor Malinak