Two little boys decided to rub limburger cheese in their grandfather's beard while he was taking a nap on the couch. When grandpa woke up, he took a deep breath and said, "it smells in here.' He walked through several rooms of the house and in each room he said, "It even smells in here." Finally, he walked out on the porch, took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Well, the whole world stinks."

Grandpa's words are typical of many people in our Nation. They have a very negative, pessimistic view of life in America.

One of the most common sins in America is the sin of ingratitude. In spite of our numerous problems and shortcomings, this is a great Nation for which we should be thankful.

The Old Testament reveals that Israel was often in a position very much like we find ourselves in today. Israel had enjoyed the blessings of the Lord in remarkable and miraculous ways.

God miraculously brought them out of bondage in Egypt and into the good land of Canaan. In Egypt they had been slaves. They were oppressed, tormented, beaten and hated by the Egyptian rulers. They had very little that they could call their own and no religious freedom.

The Lord heard their cries, miraculously delivered them and brought them into Canaan. The scriptures describe Canaan as a good land filled with streams and pools of water. It was a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey. Bread was not scarce and they lacked for nothing. It was a land where the rocks were iron and where they could dig copper out of the hills.

In this land of abundant natural resources and personal freedom they soon became a prosperous and powerful nation. They worshipped God without fear or restrictions.

In the midst of their prosperity, Moses, in Deuteronomy chapter eight, warned them, "Be carful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees,— otherwise when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

Tragically the Israelis did not heed Moses warning. In the midst of their prosperity and power, they forgot God and began to worship idols. Just as Moses warned them, they were destroyed and scattered abroad.

My question is, "Will we ever learn from history?"

Here in America we are blessed to live in a land of prosperity. We are free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. We enjoy a standard of living that far exceeds that of any other Nation. We have so much for which to be thankful.

Without question, God has abundantly blessed us and shed His grace upon us. We need to remember Moses exhortation to give praise to God for His many blessings.

It seems to me that pride has filled our hearts. In the midst of our prosperity and power many have forgotten God and turned to their god's of materialism and hedonistic pleasure. We have exalted ourselves and said, "Look what we have done." We are becoming a totally secular Nation. The man made gods of materialism, pleasure and power have always been the ruination of men and Nations.

"Will we ever learn from history?

Unless we have a great spiritual awakening in America and stop worshipping pseudo gods we will perish as a Nation. If God did not spare Israel, He will not spare us. We cannot continue to disobey God's laws, murder the unborn, condone alternative life styles and same sex marriage and expect to prosper as a Nation.

Will we ever learn from history?

In this season, we need to count our blessings and give praise to God. We have so much for which to be grateful. We must never take for granted God's blessings and the freedoms we enjoy.

Sitting across from me on an airplane was a teen age boy and his parents. The boy was blind. As we broke through the clouds the mother was describing it to her son. I was stunned and moved when the young man exclaimed with genuine joy, "Oh mother, it's so beautiful, everything is so beautiful." I thought, "Isn't it amazing that a young man who was blind was enjoying the beauty of the day that most of us with good eyes just took for granted.

Let's learn from history and remember where our blessings come from. Take some time to stop and count your blessings and give praise to God who has blessed us with this good land.

We can learn from history!