Grains of Sand

Just a couple of days ago Canada, my home country, celebrated its 148th birthday. Tomorrow our neighbours to the south will celebrate their Independence Day. So I thought it was interesting that my reading this morning should take me to Psalm 33:12, which says: “ Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage .” Of course the psalmist was referring to Israel as God’s covenant people, but both Canada and the US were founded on Christian principles and continue to EXPECT divine favour as privileged first-world nations. How quickly we forget the fate of an Israel that abandoned her God. Over forty years ago, Francis Schaeffer wrote a little book called Death in the City . Even back then he preached the message that his beloved Europe was under the judgment of God for having abandoned Him. He gave the lectures upon which the book was based while on tour in the US. and applied the statements he made about Europe to North America. Our drift away ...

Google Images Here in Canada we just celebrated our 145th year as a nation. Our neighbours to the south are about to celebrate their birthday as a nation. There is cause for celebration in two of the most favoured places on the planet. But for how long? Israel is coming to the end of its days as a nation. Assyria is about to descend and take her people into exile. We all know why. Even God comes to end of his patience, and though He will not forsake them, even in exile, nor will He continue to tolerate their rebellion. Judah, the southern kingdom, still has a few years of grace left before she follows her sister into exile. But things don't run smoothly there either. Though Judah had many good kings, some were not. Ahaz, is a classic example of why Judah finally ended up in exile. He is also a frightening parallel to the modern church age. In 2 Kings 16, Ahaz begins to reign in Judah. But he is one of Judah's kings who doesn't follow the Lord. In fact when Aram and Isra...

I'm putting on my nationalistic hat this morning. Today is CANADA DAY. In a few days, our American neighbours will celebrate their Independence Day and, just a day after that, the country in which I live, Venezuela, will celebrate its own independence. Since today has a national flavour, the verse assigned for me to read this morning carried the same savour. " But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well " —Luke 12:31. Matthew's version of this verse speaks about the righteousness that is characteristic of the kingdom of God. That got me thinking (putting on my nationalistic hat) about the foundations upon which a kingdom needs to be built. The foundation upon which God's kingdom is build is Jesus Christ. Once upon a time the foundations of my country were established around a strong moral base, a base taken from a belief in God and an acceptance of the Scriptures. But since those strong beginnings, cracks have appeared in the foundation of ...