It All Depends Upon The Approval Or Disapproval Of Almighty God.

The Bible Says

It All Depends Upon The Approval Or Disapproval Of Almighty God.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1 NKJB).

Some today are concerned about America. Have we reached the top of our possibilities? Will we go the way other democracies have? God has been kind to our nation every since our humble beginning until now. The big question today; “Is God building the house? Or have we chosen do our own thing and leave God out of the affairs of our beloved nation?”

How Much Time Do We Have?
About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage.”

The Big Question?
Will the United States of America dominate the world scene for another hundred years or will internal decay and lack of a common course take it the way of other great empires in the past? Rome, Carthage, Greece, the Soviet Union, and many others who stepped onto the world stage have exited - some in infamy others in ruin.

Those who left Europe, and came to America, found opportunity and religious freedom, and were blessed in their efforts as long as they served God.

Renewal of our country must begin with each individual and spread throughout the homes, communities and cities of our vast nation. We need a return to values that once made America great and a personal, individual commitment made by parents, teachers, leaders everywhere to seek virtue and integrity.

The Fence
Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox, “I’m looking for a few days’ work,” he said. “Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you?”

“Yes,” said the older brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbor, in fact, it’s my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll go him one better. See that pole of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence, an 8-foot fence, so I won’t need to see his place or his face anymore.”

The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”

The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, and nailing. About sunset, when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide, his haw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge - a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails and all - and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming across, his hand outstretched.

“You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done.”

The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder.

“No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve got lots of other projects for you,” said the older brother.

“I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said. “But, I have many more bridges to build.”

-The Bible Friend June/July 2003