Our Goodly Heritage

We encourage you to share the following with your church leaders, teachers, volunteers, and small-groups.

Originally printed in Strength for Service to God and Country: Daily Devotions for Those in the Service of Others, second revised edition copyright © 2002 by Abingdon Press/Nashville. All rights reserved.

The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. — Ps. 16:6

When it comes to riches and marvels of native land, when it comes to benefits and blessings, when it comes to rights and privileges, and when it comes to opportunities and possibilities, we, the people of these United States, have a goodly heritage — something we are in danger of forgetting, unless we remind ourselves of it from time to time, especially in view of the fact that there are some among us who are always finding fault with our country. We would be wiser and better citizens if we would spend more time in evidencing our appreciation of what we have and less time in complaining about what we do not have.

We have a goodly heritage geographically, vast oceans removing us from the rest of the world; a goodly heritage industrially, possessing abundant natural resources and productive factories; a goodly heritage racially, being a combination of many races and nationalities; a goodly heritage politically, being a democratic people with a democratic form of government, a goodly heritage culturally, knowing the value of good books, the fine arts, and good manners; and a goodly heritage spiritually, consisting of courage and faith and fortitude.

Our goodly heritage deserves the best defense we can accord it, the best industrial defense, the best political defense, the best moral defense, and the best spiritual defense. We shall do our best to prevent the crucifixion of our goodly heritage upon a totalitarian cross.

OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, we thank Thee for our country, for life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness: in a word, for our goodly heritage. May we be worthy of it. Help us to hand it down enriched and untarnished to those who shall come after us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

OTTO C. SEYMOUR

First Presbyterian Church, Joplin, Missouri