THE NATIONAL QUESTION

What makes a nation great? What are the pointers showing that a nation has attained
greatness? When you look about you, from the information you gathered, how many
countries can you honestly say have attained greatness? What are the criteria used in
determining that a nation is great?

Now, it seems I am asking the obvious; at least we all are aware about the
categorization of nations into developed, developing, and underdeveloped nations.
For these categories, obviously there are criteria to arriving at these placements. An
underdeveloped nation by definition is a country that is poor, and where there is not
much modern industry. A developing nation is a poor country that is trying to
increase its industry and improve trade. But a developed nation is a country rich in
industry with a lot of business activities.
From the foregoing, nations are classified by their economic power. By inference,
once a nation is economically sound, every other area of need is assumed to be in
right shape. That is the social, educational, agricultural, security and by implication
spiritual area. So any nation that can generate and manage its resources well should
be able to take care of the need of her people. Notice the emphasis on management,
because not all nations that generate enough resources are able to manage them.
Nigeria for instance, she is a nation with abundant of resources, yet she is not
classified among the developed nations, because her abundant of resources had not
translated to bettering the life of an average citizen of her populace.

Having seen these classifications above, the next question to ask us as believers is,
do we agree with these analyses? Or better put, is this the point of view of God? Is
this the way God sees? If we have contrary view to these analyses, what then is our
measure? Yet God said, “For my thoughts are not your thought, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the Lord….” (Is55: 8).From the scripture, the Lord said, what
makes a thought or intent right is when they line up with His. So, to answer the
question above, the classifications can only be said to be true if they meet up wholly
with God’s criteria. The bible is the word of God, whatever it says is God Himself
speaking, so we can only agree with these criteria if they agree totally with the word
of God.

Let us consider some of God’s criteria, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance” (Ps33:12). The
word ‘Lord’ denotes ownership by right. Lord is only given to one who is sovereign
owner. To be blessed also means to be empowered to prosper. And the scripture said
the blessing of the Lord makes rich, excluding sorrows (see Prov10:22) If we
rephrase the scripture above, we can say that when a nation submits her ownership
to God as her Lord, she becomes empowered to prosper (physically, materially,
financially, spiritually etc) without sorrows.
Now, looking at the developed nations, how many have submitted to the Lordship of
Jesus Christ? Better put, do they consider God as the supreme source of their wealth,
strength and might? Can we say that their empowerment is sorrow free? Your
answer is as good as mine. Most if not the entire developed nation is not peaceful,
they have both internal and external crisis, their problems are not entirely different
from other nations internally, and they only differ in proportion. Most of them do not
acknowledge His Lordship; their confidence is in their own ability rather than
God’s. A nation not submitted to His Lordship is none of His and by implication not
entitled to His inheritance. It is until a nation submits to God’s Lordship that her
populace can be said to be His people, so, a nation though rich economically, but not
submitted to God cannot from God’s point of view be said to be rich nor be His.

“Uprightness and right standing with God (moral and spiritual rectitude in every
area and relation) elevate a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people”(Prov14:34
Amp). Here the scripture said that the elevation of a nation depends on her moral
and spiritual uprightness and right standing. From God’s stand, no nation becomes
great without standing right with Him. Yet we have anti-God nations supposedly
looking great, at least economically. With her various anti-God policies, can we then
say America is experiencing the elevation of God? What about those developed
nations who do not believe in God and are not submitted to the Lordship of the
savior? Are they great in the sight of God? Many of these developed nations are the
sources of immorality; they have legalized gay marriage, abortion, people staying
together and not being married, pornography, violent films, crazy adverts etc. This is
another pointer of our not seeing from God’s perspective. It is unlikely that these
nations though economically great, but not standing right morally and spiritually,
cannot be said to be great in His sight.

Finally, let us consider another word from the Lord. “When thou hath eaten and art
full thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which He hath given thee…
And thou say in thine heart, my power and might of mine hand hath gotten me this
wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee
power to get wealth… And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and
walk after other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this
day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord desroyeth before
your face….”(Deut8:10,11,17,20) Here, the Lord is warning His chosen
people(nation), that even though He showers His blessing upon them, and they
partake of His inheritance, if they lose sight of him, and start thinking their ability
got them to where they are, He will not be pleased with them. The Lord demands
every nation to acknowledge Him in their prosperity and not to think they were ‘all
of that and a pack of chips’. Check, most of the things we pride ourselves about; we
do not really have power over their outcome. How many of the nation rich in
resources put them there? What determines the pigment of your skin? What qualifies
you to be born of your parent and your country? And the list goes on. How many
nations acknowledge God in their prosperity? The Lord is jealous over the nations
and He does not enjoy being ignored. The Lord said in verse 20, that any nation that
fails to acknowledge Him, even though they may be so great, will perish as the
nations of the past. Many nations have come and gone, the downfall of all great
nations is founded on their pride, when they start thinking they have ‘arrived’ and
can do without God. Note, more factors may be adduced to their downfall, but the
root cause is actually their pride, they will not attribute their greatness to God rather,
they glory in economic prowess, their great army, and all other things aside from the
maker of all things.

Please understand, the message is not meant to debase the nations nor is it meant to
rubbish the great achievement of these nations, but it is important as children of God
to see things from God’s perspective. For that is the only way we will not be
conformed to the world (see Rom12:2). Rather this message should compel us to
pray for any nation however great that is derailed from God. It is believed therefore,
that the reason why no great nations have had an enduring influence is because of
these subtle factors.
As we compare God’s standard with the nation, we see that no nation met His
standard, not even His chosen people. Because of the imperfections of nations, both
past and present, God through our Lord Jesus Christ introduced us to a new nation
founded about two thousand years ago and still growing. This is an everlasting
nation, a rich nation, a powerful nation, a nation that transcends region and location.
She is blessed, exalted, and acknowledges God in her riches and power. The
scripture says she is forcefully advancing, and of the increase of her government and
peace there shall be no end (see Mt 11:12, Isiah9:7). She is the only nation that
meets God’s criteria, enduring, peaceful and unstoppable. The citizenship of this
nation is open for all, it is not for selected few, not according to the pigmentation of
skin, it is the only kingdom where everybody is treated equally, every one have same
rights. Since Jesus came, He said your right of sonship is in repenting, and then the
kingdom comes to you. Since this kingdom transcends location, Jesus said it is in
you. You enjoy the benefit therein wherever you go. This is the only kingdom you
can be proud to identify with, the only kingdom where every one is family, the only
kingdom without segregation, the only kingdom that that acknowledges the
Lordship of God, so she has no need to change leader.

Just as you are looking down on yourself because of your physical location, or you
are priding yourself because of it, you should be more concerned which government
represents you, for that will determine your national question. If you belong to God,
you are of a different kingdom that transcends your family background, your tribe,
your family, what you have or do not have. You have a government that suits God’s
agenda, rich in resources with sound policies to cater for her populace. She is not
only blessed physically, but spiritually. The question is what nationality are you? Is
your nation great in God’s sight? If not are you willing to be identified with us? For
the greatness of your nation determines how great you will ever become.