“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” – Proverbs 14:34
What do you think of our nation?
July 4th is just around the corner. National pride raises to a yearly high as we celebrate our national birthday. We often talk about our faith and actions on a personal level, but the Bible will talk about faith and actions on family, community, and even national levels.
National vs Individual
It’s interesting that God created a nation of people to be His own and often dealt with them on a national level. When He led Israel into the Promised Land, they had an amazing victory against Jericho and then immediately after they had an embarrassing loss at Ai.
Ai should have been an easy victory, but they lost because God wasn’t with them. Why wasn’t God with them? Because one guy disobeyed God’s command to not take any of the religious items from Jericho. One person sinned and all of Israel paid the price. God often dealt with Israel as a whole rather than the individuals within the nation.
This probably sounds a little strange to you and may even rub you the wrong way. In the U.S., we are so used to thinking individually that the idea of holding a whole nation accountable for the actions of one person can be offensive to us. Yet, that’s what God did.
Thinking of Our Nation
Proverbs 14 reminds us that we need to think about our nation, not just ourselves. The United States has much to be proud of. There are many righteous things our nation has done. Our nation has also had its sinful disgraces. We can’t undo the past nor can we sit on prior laurels. We must think about our nation as it is, today.
So, let me ask you…
As you think about those questions, I encourage you to remember yesterday’s devotion about our corrupt hearts and minds. As we consider what righteous or sinful things our nation is doing, we must determine what is right and wrong not based on our personal ideas or the culture, but on Scripture where Scripture speaks.
The Biggest Disgrace of Our Nation
Personally, I think our nation’s biggest disgrace is our lack of faith. Don’t misunderstand. We aren’t Israel and I’m not calling for a theocracy. I’m referring to the high number of people in our nation who do not believe in Jesus.
Why is this our biggest disgrace? Two reasons:
So, vote. Engage in the political process. However, more than that, share the Gospel. The Gospel changes lives. The Gospel changes hearts. The Gospel can change a nation.
Almighty God,
I pray that You would bless the United States not only with prosperity but with justice, righteousness, and faith. Help me to know how best to engage in our nation for the good of all people and for Your glory. Most of all, help me to share the love of Jesus and the good news of the Gospel that people might be saved.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
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