	Bob Hostetler > Devotions

The Right Answer

by Bob Hostetler

"Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you" (Psalm 82:8, NLT).

It may be the middle of summer, but it's time for a quiz. Don't panic; we'll make it a multiple choice quiz. And there's only one question. And it's really easy:

1. Today is July 4th. What are you celebrating?;
a) A day to wear all the red, white, and blue you want without anyone saying you look silly;
b) A day of parades, picnics, and pyrotechnics (OK, OK, fireworks!);
c) A day of national pride;
d) A day to remember where the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness really came from--God.

Okay, time's up. What's your answer?

While none of those answers are wrong, the last answer reminds us of something we too often forget. While the government may honor our basic rights as a human being, it doesn't grant us those rights. God does.

The very basis of the idea of personal rights is the fact that there is a God, and he is the One who by his nature defines what is right and wrong. Your rights to live, to be free, to be treated with respect, are not gifts from any government or court; they are gifts from the righteous God, the One from whom all moral judgments--including human rights--are derived. That's true not only for Americans, but for all people everywhere.

So in between all those firecrackers and noisemakers, take a few moments to honor God, who has given you rights that no government can give and no government can take away.

Pray: Lord, thank you for the rights you have given me. . . and for the privileges such freedom brings.

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