July 4, 2016 | Gunner Steele

The 4th of July is known as Independence Day. It is the day when Americans are supposed to remember our own history—and how our forefathers fought and shed their blood to secure our freedom and our independence.

And it is true—America is a great country. It is also true that America has been slowly and steadily losing her greatness. And some would contend that America's decline has been accelerating in this generation.

But I want to remind our readers today about what it is that makes America great. I want to remind us what it means to have independence. I want to remind us what it means to have FREEDOM.

You see, America's greatness does not come from our system of government. I would contend that our system of government came from America's greatness. Because America was founded by great men, with great faith, who made great risks—American then became great. And we were given a system of government based on those beliefs which were rooted in that great faith.

Our FREEDOM does not come from our Constitution. It comes from God. Our Constitution exists to legally bind ourselves and our government to this universal truth. We are FREE because God made us FREE. That's right—God. Specifically, the One God of the Bible. And shame on every American who is afraid to recognize, admit, acknowledge, or proclaim this truth. It is not just true—it is obvious. One should never fear to proclaim the obvious.

Our wealth does not come from our abundant natural resources. Rather, our wealth comes from our human resources—from our people. Historically, the greatest minds, the greatest thinkers, the greatest workers, the greatest fathers, the greatest people came from all parts of the world to America in search of freedom. And they found it.

In short, what makes America great is the fact that we let people live without being controlled by others. And we got this idea from the Christian faith. Simple as that. Even so-called "non-believers" like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin believed that these principles came from the Christian faith and quoted the Bible in their speeches and dissertations concerning freedom.

We are free because God made us free. We are great because the freedom that God grants us allow for maximum individual achievement. We can be who we choose to be. We can be who we believe God wants us to be. We don't have to be lorded over by some bureaucrat.

This may be best illustrated by a story told be a news reporter who visited Moscow at the peak of the Cold War. He spoke with the young boy who was driving his taxi to the airport in New York and asked him what he planned on doing in his future. The boy replied, "I don't know. I haven't decided yet."

When he landed in Moscow, he was likewise picked up a young taxi driver to take him to his hotel. So he asked him the same question—what was he planning on doing in his future? The young Soviet boy replied, "I don't know. They haven't told me yet."

And that is why we celebrate our Independence Day. Because God gave us the gift of Independence. It means we are not dependent on our government for our life, for our food, for our shelter, for our income, or for our happiness. We are free to find it all, lose it all, risk it all, or gain it all on our own. That's freedom. That's independence. That's a gift from God!

I pray this 4th of July that enough Americans will remember what it is that makes us great, and will be willing to fight for our Independence again. Otherwise, the day will come when we will wake up in the near future to an America who will have lost her way, completely abandoned her roots, left her first love, and turned the 4th of July from "Independence Day" into "Dependence Day" in recognition of a population that is completely dependent on its government.

Until next Monday, I'm yours in Freedom,
Gunner Steele
The Freedom Man

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