Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim, for the land had rest from war (Josh 14:15).  As signs of the end of the age we’ll hear of wars and rumors of wars, but we mustn’t be alarmed, for this is to take place for the end isn’t yet.  “Nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs” (Mt 24:6-8).  People will know that world peace is impossible without Christ, for the Lord will abolish the bow, the sword, war from the land, and he’ll make us to lie down in safety (Hos 2:18).

Preeminent leader of Indian Independence movement, Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) said, “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”  If their hearts and soul are centered on peace they will be great gifts.  Ronald Reagan (1911–2004), a president of the United States, stated, “If we ever forget that we are One Nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”  President Reagan couldn’t concede of America without God.  God-fearing leaders put their trust in a Supreme Being.  This is reflected in the country’s tradition.

Attributes of Nations

Other important attributes make nations great.  A president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) recognized, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”  By this concept our views about America evolved.  Today we speak about the equality of opportunities.  There will always be those who are privileged and gain favors other Americans don’t.  The goals of equality have however reshuffled the society, and there’s accountability in education and talent, but not just not only on the color of one’s skin.

Some problematic aspects of American life were exposed by Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968), a Baptist minister and leader of the African American Civil Rights Movement, when he declared, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  This dream is alive and well.  America did witness the election of its first African American president Barack Obama to the White House.

Importance of a Home

Americans mustn’t lose track of the importance of a home in their daily lives.  A Chinese teacher and philosopher Confucius (551 BC–479 BC) revealed, “The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.”  Undoubtedly it’s the quality of training passed down which determines the caliber of a nation.  If Americans – black or white, don’t instill moral values in the young, they will fail in their duties as citizens.

It’s uplifting if we concluded like Michelle Obama (b. 1964), a first lady of the United States, who said, “Every day, the people I meet inspire me…every day, they make me proud…every day they remind me how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on earth.”