July 4th celebrates the USA’s freedom from Britain. The Declaration of Independence was principally authored by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. He wrote: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

On September 20th, 2006, Douwene and I were admitted to USA Citizenship. We proudly drove home to find that the congregation had placed a huge patriotic welcome banner on our garage door. Our entire front law was outlined with little USA Flags.

A few days later we were presented with an American Flag. A friend, Suellen Cross had gifted it to us, with a note: “This is to certify that the accompanying flag was flown over the United States Capital on September 20, 2006, at the request of the Honorable Mac Thornberry, Member of Congress… in honor of the Buchanan family’s Citizenship Swearing-In.

On a spiritual level, I had already changed my citizenship – when on June 28th, 1982, I became a citizen of God’s Kingdom via water and the Spirit (John 3:3-5). Now I was free to live three commandments:

· 1st, So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

· 2nd Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.

· 3rd Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness (Romans 6:11-13).

Friend, are you a permanent citizen of God’s eternal Kingdom?