Do we understand  motto ‘For God and my country’?

According to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, a motto is a short sentence or phrase that expresses the aims and beliefs of a person, a group, an institution, among others,  and it is used as a rule of behaviour. 

Our national motto is “For God and My Country”. This means at the individual level, I am for God before I am for my country. I am for God before I am for Uganda and you are for God before you are for Uganda. So we are for God before we are for Uganda.

The designers of this motto were inspired by God because the greatest commandments say  ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart… and love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ 

So if I am for God, it means I have to love God, serve him and worship him and also love my neighbour as I love my self. If I love God, I have to obey His voice, His word and follow His directions. God stands for Giver of Direction. Isaiah 45:2, John 10:3 Rev 7:17. Serving God means doing His will. So what is the will of God? ‘The will is to not lose any, raise them up at the last day, and give them eternal life. John 6:38-40” 

The Lord is our leader and provider. Every leader has a responsibility to fulfil. What is your responsibility as a leader? John 10:1 - Jesus cares for the sheep, feeds them, treats them and protects them from enemies. Do we have Jesus’ spirit in us? You can only do this if you love God and serve Him faithfully for it is written that whatsoever you did unto the least of my brethren, that you did unto me (Mathew 25:40).

Leaders are appointed or elected. This means they are empowered to serve and lead. Romans 13:1-7 says all authority comes from God. So if God chooses leaders, he holds them accountable for their leadership. Let’s serve God, let’s love God.

Leaders lead according to the laws of the country. Every organised society has established laws. The major law of the country is the Constitution. Laws were instituted by God, according to Exodus 20:1. All other laws made by man are a true replica of God’s laws.

The word LAW stands for Living According to the Word. The word here means God’s word-the Bible. The word of God has a lot of dos and don’ts. The dos help us to love, serve and worship God. The don’ts help us to avoid evil and injury to our selves. 

Having a God-fearing spirit makes one a great leader for this means one serves God and his people. Opposing God makes one a bad leader and this leads to only evil. How can one be great in the service of God?

Be a genuine worshipper, not a hypocritical one, be a true believer not a nominal believer, Have a heart of love, not a heart of desires. Have a heavenly mind, not an earthly one. This takes us back to true worship. You can be a true worshipper if you uphold the teachings of the Bible.

At the time of swearing in, leaders hold the Bible to make a commitment to serve God and His people, but often times, this only turns out to be a mere ceremony. 

Very few leaders live up to the dignity of this high commitment. The oath, according to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, is “a formal promise to do something or a formal statement that something is true.”

These oaths are oath of office, allegiance, secrecy, etc. These oaths affirm one’s commitment to serve God and the people. The Bible, which the leaders hold when swearing-in, shows that the leaders will abide by the words therein.                                        

John Owor,
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