Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – July 4, 2014
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Proverbs 14:34
What makes a nation great? Its goodness is what God blesses. Righteousness is the lever the Lord uses to lift a nation up as an example for other nations to follow. However, like people, a nation can fall from God’s grace. His blessing is removed when a haughty country shows no remorse for their sin, even sanctioning its use. A blessed nation will cease to be great when it forgets where it came from and jettisons Jesus.
It is when a nation is hurting that it most needs healing. The nation of Israel experienced this, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Have we drifted as a nation in our need for God? Has our sin found us out? Are we reaping what we have sown?
The good news is that an exalted nation does not have people sneaking out, but instead, sneaking in. Peoples of the world clamor to come into a country Christ has blessed. The ‘best and the brightest’ are drawn like a ‘moth to a light’ to live somewhere they can chase their dreams. It is out of its goodness that a nation becomes a magnet for mankind. Righteousness reposes in the heart of great nations; it supports virtue and suppresses vice.
Lastly, a crippled country can come back, but not without consequences. It starts with individuals repenting and taking responsibility for their actions. ‘How can I come clean with Christ?’ ‘Have I been financially irresponsible?’ ‘Has greed governed my giving?’ ‘Has fear frozen my faith?’ ‘Has comfort and ease become my idol?’ ‘What is my part, so God can trust our nation with greatness again?’
“He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised” (Deuteronomy 26:19).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, lead our nation away from the temptation of trust in our ingenuity and lead us back into trust in You and Your precious promises.
Related Readings: Proverbs 11:11; Jeremiah 22:2-25; Matthew 12:21; Romans 16:25-27
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