I'll admit it: I get a little rowdy when I watch fireworks. Maybe you do, too, every Fourth of July (or on whatever date your national holiday is if you live outside the U.S.). You could blame my enthusiasm on an overdose of hotdogs and cotton candy, but there's no special explanation needed. It's just fun to get together with friends and family and have a picnic while watching the fireworks go off. 

Holly and I celebrated our nation's Independence Day one day early since our community decided to do a huge carnival on the third of July this year. When the fireworks started, I was "oohing" and "aahing" along with the best of them. And after the grand finale, I was shouting out loud with the rest of the five-year-olds in the crowd, "MORE! MORE!"

But that was it. Time to go home. See you all next year. 

Am I the only one who's a little let down at the end of the show? Honestly, if you're over 12 years old it probably takes more than a fireworks display to get your heart really pumping. I'm thankful for the country I live in, but even as I consider how we Americans celebrate our patriotism and all that it means, I find my heart still crying out, "MORE! MORE!" My heart is distracted by the rocket's red glare only for an instant. When the fireworks stop, I still hear my heart crying out for the "MORE! MORE!" that can only be filled by God. Love of country--or anything else this world has to offer--can never satisfy the deepest longings of my heart.

Those of us who know Jesus and have been bought back by His blood have access to that MORE. "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." --Hebrews 11:13-16

Aah, that's it! Hits the spot. Jesus, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." --Psalm 73:25 So for all of you celebrating America's Independence Day today, enjoy the hotdogs and fireworks. But if you want to get really excited, think about what we have and what awaits us in Christ!