majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Deuteronomy 15:4-6,
"There should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God
is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless
you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to
follow all these commands I am giving you today. For the Lord your God
will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations
but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none
will rule over you."
Here the Lord promises to bless Israel if she obeys him. They will
enjoy his rich blessings in the land and not have any in poverty if
they obey.
Here in America, we do not live in a land given to a chosen people by
the Lord as was Israel. As Christians we look to another country
beyond this one as we read about in Hebrews 11:13b-16. "They [the
faithful patriarchs] 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."
And so we, as Christians do likewise.
However, we, as Christians, live in this country and while here we
need to have an impact on it. God will certainly have his. As we read
in Jeremiah 18:7-10, "If at any time I announce that a nation or
kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation
I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it
the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a
nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil
in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I
had intended to do for it." America has her opportunity to either
enjoy the blessings of God or experience his judgement.
There is nothing in the New Covenant that appears to change what the
Lord had to say through Jeremiah about his dealing with the differing
nations. It is my belief that what the Lord said then still holds true
today. As I consider the embrace of homosexuality in our culture, the
practice of abortion and infanticide in our country today, I suspect
all the "stimulus packages" that can be advanced to improve our
economy may be to no avail. The Lord is our Lord who delights in
kindness, justice and righteousness. Woe to this country if it does
not repent of its evil!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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