This week our nation will celebrate July 4, marking 243 years since 13 colonies declared their independence from British rule. It will be a day filled with cook-outs and fireworks, often spent with family and friends. It is a day of celebration and a time to remember the blessing afforded to us here in the USA.

As I look forward to the day, I am reminded that my gratitude for and love of my country is expressed best when it is, as church philosopher and theologian Augustine says, a “rightly ordered love.” In this case, having rightly ordered love can help ensure that our love for country is in check with the other loves within our lives. We can only properly love (and serve) our country if we prioritize our love for God and our love for family over our love for our country, for the country was founded to serve and protect the former, not the other way around.

Love for God

Scripture is clear that love for God should be the driving motivation within our lives. Jesus affirmed the greatest commandment in Matthew 22 where he said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This commandment is reaffirmed throughout Scripture, as one’s love and devotion to God is expressed through a heart which his oriented toward him. It is seen in Daniel’s devotion to pray to God, in David’s willingness to fight the giant, and in Moses’ defiance of an oppressive nation.

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Properly understood, love for God also compels us to love others. Jesus explains that love for God is the “greatest commandment,” but then proceeds to elaborate on this statement by saying, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” From Jesus’ words, we understand that a heart oriented to God will result in a heart responsive to the needs of others, which requires me to contribute to my family and society in a meaningful way.

Love for Family

This love for others means love for various groups of people including friends, neighbors, and colleagues. However, it means love for those even closer to us as well. All too often, I find myself overlooking those nearest to me—my family—as I seek to love others within my life, and this is important because the Bible has a lot to say about the family unit. Not only is the family affirmed throughout both the Old and New Testaments, the family was actually the first institution established within Scripture. In Genesis 2, the first reference to the family is spoken of, which indicates, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”

As I rightly love God, I am then able to begin to rightly love others, starting with my family. I can serve them, help provide for them, and point them in a direction so they can love God and love others. As the family unit is strengthened and cared for, we can then become the type of citizens who effectively love and serve our country.

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Love for Country

Living as a community of those who love God and those committed to our families allows us to become better citizens of this nation. As a demonstration of our love for God and a commitment to our family, we naturally have a desire to help our nation become the best it can be. We help in all ways available to us. We pay our taxes, we help improve our communities, we care for those in need. We are honest in our business transactions, we ethically care for the sick, and we govern by moral standards. At the heart of our service is a willingness to put the needs of others ahead of ourselves in a display of love for God and a commitment to doing what is best for our families.

This fourth of July, as I celebrate my country, I will also be celebrating my love for God and my love for my family. I encourage you to do the same as a way to more fully comprehend the blessing it is to live in this nation and to serve your neighbor.