We must each find our reason for being. Abraham Maslow said it well: "An artist must paint, a poet must write, a musician must make music if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself." What is your purpose, your vision for your life? And how does that vision relate to the country whose birth we celebrated yesterday?

Jesus was clear: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). If he has all, we have none. His purpose for our lives is what matters most. And he made that purpose clear: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" (v. 19). As we saw last week, helping people follow Jesus is the greatest privilege of life.

Now, why talk about all this on July 5? Because helping people follow Jesus is the most patriotic thing we can do for America. We may think that America is a Christian nation today, that most of us are following Jesus, so his Great Commission isn't essential to our personal lives and witness in this nation we celebrate. But we'd be wrong.

I love America. When I travel overseas, I am always thrilled to be back. My grandfather fought in World War I, and my father fought in World War II. Some years ago I read Tom Brokaw's book, The Greatest Generation, and agree that the World War II generation saved this country. I will forever be grateful to God for America.

Because I am grateful for America, I want to serve her greatest needs. And her greatest needs are spiritual. They always have been. At the time of the American Revolution, only five to ten percent of the population was even affiliated with a church, and many of these were only nominal members.

Even today only 36 percent of Americans say they have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. There are more than 173 million lost people in our country, and 114,000 of those live within three miles of the church I pastor.

Ninety one percent of Americans say they lie regularly; 53 percent would cheat on their spouse if they weren't afraid of getting caught; 74 percent would steal from someone who wouldn't miss it. By the age of eighteen, the average American child will have seen 200,000 violent acts on television, including 40,000 murders.

Would God say that we are a "Christian" nation? What is our responsibility for this country we love? Let's continue tomorrow.

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