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JULY 7
48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they women and the chief men of the city, raised up
were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and
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And as many as had been appointed to eternal expelled them from their region. But they
life believed. shook off the dust from their feet against
49 And the word of the Lord was being them, and came to Iconium. And the disci-
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spread throughout all the region. But the ples were filled with joy and with the Holy
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Jews stirred up the devout and prominent Spirit.
DAY 6: How does a verse such as 2 Chronicles 7:14 relate to country such as America?
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves,and pray and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal
their land.”
Unlike ancient Israel,America is not a covenant nation.God has made no promise to our phys-
ical ancestors that guarantees our national status. If Israel had to fulfill the conditions for divine
blessing,even though God had covenanted with them as His chosen people,America certainly has
no inviolable claim on the blessing of God. As long as unbelief and disobedience to the Word of
God color the soul of our nation,we simply cannot expect the blessing of God.Israel didn’t get it in
her unbelief.
But for those of us who are Christians,the covenant blessings do apply.“If you are Christ’s,then
you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29). All the promises of salva-
tion,mercy,forgiveness of sins,and spiritual prosperity are ours to claim as long as we remain faith-
ful to God.
That is why the spiritual state of the church in our nation is the key to the blessing of the nation
as a whole. If God is going to bless America, it will not be for the sake of the nation itself. He blesses
the nation, and has always done so, for the sake of His people. If we who are called by His name are
not fulfilling the conditions for divine blessing,there is no hope whatsoever for the rest of the nation.
On the other hand, if the church is fit to receive God’s blessing, the whole nation will be the
beneficiary of that, because the Word of God will be proclaimed with power, God will add to His
church, and spiritual blessings of all kinds will result. And those are the truest blessings of all.

with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the
July 7 greatness of your wisdom was not told me.
You exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy
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are your men and happy are these your ser-
vants, who stand continually before you and
2 Chronicles 9:1–10:19
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hear your wisdom! Blessed be the LORD your
Now when the queen of Sheba heard of God, who delighted in you, setting you on His
9 the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusa- throne to be king for the LORD your God!
lem to test Solomon with hard questions, hav- Because your God has loved Israel, to establish
ing a very great retinue, camels that bore them forever, therefore He made you king over
spices, gold in abundance, and precious them, to do justice and righteousness.”
stones; and when she came to Solomon, she 9 And she gave the king one hundred and
spoke with him about all that was in her heart. twenty talents of gold, spices in great abun-
2 So Solomon answered all her questions; there dance, and precious stones; there never were
was nothing so difficult for Solomon that he any spices such as those the queen of Sheba
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could not explain it to her. And when the gave to King Solomon.
queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Sol- 10 Also, the servants of Hiram and the ser-
omon, the house that he had built, the food on vants of Solomon, who brought gold from
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his table, the seating of his servants, the ser- Ophir, brought algum wood and precious
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vice of his waiters and their apparel, his cup- stones. And the king made walkways of the al-
bearers and their apparel, and his entryway by gum wood for the house of the LORD and for the
which he went up to the house of the LORD, king’s house, also harps and stringed instru-
there was no more spirit in her. ments for singers; and there were none such as
5 Then she said to the king: “It was a true these seen before in the land of Judah.
report which I heard in my own land about 12 Now King Solomon gave to the queen of
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your words and your wisdom. However I did Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked,
not believe their words until I came and saw much more than she had brought to the king.
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