Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT) We grow weak and weary. Effort exerted in a day's work can leave us drained of physical energy, emotional strength, and spiritual fortitude at times. The efforts may have resulted in great gain, or limited success - either way, we come away feeling undone, wrung-out, and like our emotional 'bank account' has been drained. Those who trust, not with a flimsy, half-hearted faith, but with a deep, lasting faith in God are assured of finding a new strength, oftentimes beyon...
Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people. (Proverbs 14:34 NLT) We cannot underestimate the power of a government that is guided by the direction of the Word of God and a vital understanding of intimate relationship with our heavenly Father. Whenever a nation veered from that intended relationship with God the Father, judgment was sure to follow. We need only look at what happened to the Israelites as they set about to both find their promised land after leaving Egypt and then what happened when they became comfortable or complacent once they were settled there. The division of the tribes into Judah and Israel, incorporating the worship of false gods, and then their subsequent captivity by various rulers wasn't God's intention, but it was the consequence of their losing their attentiveness toward God. Godliness makes a nation great. We are reminded, "Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and ...