Nations

What happens to the nations that forget God or out and out reject Him?  We live in what was once called the greatest nation in the world, founded on freedom of religion and freedom of speech and biblical values, a nation that was prosperous and was respected by all the other nations of the world.  We were also the most powerful nation in the world; our economy was good, there were plenty of jobs available, then little by little we started to reject God and His laws and principles and instead of rejecting wicked things we started accepting them and even standing behind them.

When Israel rejected God and His Word, He rose up in judgement against them but, when they truly repented, He blessed them and forgave them which is a good lesson for us to follow.  Some of what we call normal today, and the things that we allow on our airwaves and in the media, would never have been allowed in the thirties and forties.  The Constitution was at one time a respected document, along with the Ten Commandments, but today they are rejected, mocked and scorned in many places.  

It seems like the United States has had a facelift, and not for the better but for the worst, and I wonder how long God will hold His hand back before real calamity and destruction will take place.  A nation can reject God and humiliate Him for so long and then judgement will come until that nation repents and cries out to God for forgiveness and help.  God brought judgement on Israel and His chosen people for their rebelliousness and sin and their rejection of Him so how can we escape His judgement and wrath if we do the same thing which we are doing now and have been doing, but there is good news in all of this.

If a nation repents, God may extend His mercy and grace on that nation, for example in God’s Word we find hope in many places but let’s look at the book of Jonah for instance and what took place in Nineveh, which was a very wicked city.  If you would like to read the whole book it is only four chapters long and you will see the grace and mercy of God displayed, not only on a whole city but on an individual as well, Jonah himself.  Read how God responded to a very wicked nation that repented of their sins.

Read Jonah 3:1-10, “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.’

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”

This shows the amazing love, mercy and grace of God and also His desire to forgive when we, or a nation, repents and turns from their wicked ways and turns to God for forgiveness.  For many years there were sacrifices for sin but the ultimate sacrifice took place and that was God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who gave His life a ransom for our sins so if we will repent and turn from our wicked ways and ask His forgiveness, He will forgive and cleanse us from all our sins and unrighteousness and He will cover us with His righteousness, praise the Lord!

So the decision is yours, if you don’t know Jesus in a personal way as your Lord and Savior my prayer is that you will repent of your sins, which means to turn in the other direction and ask Him to forgive you and to be your Lord and Savior and let Him fill you with His peace, love and joy.  Then go forth rejoicing and praising and share what the Lord has done in your life and start growing in the faith.  Pray about the church you should go to and start fellowshipping with other believers.  May the Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!