“Go from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you, And I will make you into a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”Genesis 12:1-3 Through the course of history, one group of people sailed every sea, crossed every waterway, conquered every mountaintop and established civilizations on every continent. One group and one group alone. The Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Scandinavian, Celtic and kindred people are those people. These feats are not random or accidental. Rather, they are the fulfillment of a promise made to Abraham from God. Israel (our people) were chosen by God it be used as His instrument to bless the earth and its inhabitants. The evidence of this is all around us. Farming and Agriculture It can be argued that God created man to till the earth (Genesis 2:5). Certainly, it can be said that from the beginning, God’s plan for His people emphasized an agrarian lifestyle in tune with creation. No other group of people have done more to feed the world than Jacob-Israel. Time and literary space doesn’t permit me to list every individual who changed the face of farming but here is a snapshot: Norman Borlaug: An American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the “Green Revolution”. Borlaug was awarded multiple honors for his work, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, one of only seven people to have received all three awards. Borlaug is credited as “The man who taught the world how to feed itself.” Borlaug was an American of Norwegian descent. Cyrus McCormick: The story goes that Cyrus McCormick worked feverishly and well into the nights over the course of several months to develop the world’s first mechanical reaper in 1831. A mechanical reaper was needed, as harvesting crops in McCormick’s day required numerous men to cut and gather. McCormick’s reaper was able to replace manpower for machine power and is often cited as a key driver for the westward expansion of the United States. In 1851, the reaper won the highest award of the day, the Gold Medal at London’s Crystal Palace Exhibition. Cyrus McCormick became incredibly famous and was literally a worldwide celebrity. Cyrus McCormick is referred to as the ‘Father of Modern Agriculture.’ McCormick was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and descended from Scotch-Irish settlers. Manufacturing and Industry Henry Ford:Among the giants of industry, some would say that Henry Ford stands the tallest. It is easily arguable that Mr. Ford’s assembly line changed the world. The automobile industry reshaped every aspect of human life and there would have been no auto industry without Henry Ford. It can also be said that Mr. Ford’s employment practices led to the creation of what is known as the “Middle Class” of America. It would be impossible to put a dollar amount on the wealth and prosperity that Henry Ford brought to the common man. Mr. Ford was and American born in Michigan to a father of Irish descent and a mother of Belgian descent. Andrew Carnegie: Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland to parents who immigrated to the United States when young Andrew was 13 years old. They settled near Pittsburgh, where Mr. Carnegie began an extraordinary rags-to-riches business career. Starting as a “bobbin boy” in a cotton mill for a weekly salary of $1.20, he advanced rapidly, eventually becoming a manager with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. There Carnegie came to appreciate the importance of iron and steel for the future of the American economy and shifted his efforts toward producing them. Andrew Carnegie went onto establish the largest steel production company in the world. He also owned, railroads, oil wells and steam ships, which sailed The Great Lakes. He amassed a fortune worth more than $300 billion in today’s money. His innovations in manufacturing led to the employment of countless people across the entire world. Moreover, his incredible spirit of giving has blessed untold numbers of people and continues to this this day. Medicine: Sir Alexander Fleming: Mr. Fleming was born in Scotland. His father was farmer and his mother was a homemaker. Mr. Fleming was an incredibly bright child and grew into a gifted medical doctor. Mr. Fleming developed the first viable antibiotic and in doing so, changed the world forever. Fleming's discovery of penicillin changed the world of modern medicine by introducing the age of useful antibiotics; penicillin has saved, and is still saving, millions of people around the world. Christiaan Barnard: Mr. Barnard was a South African born to Afrikaans parents. His father was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church. Mr. Barnard’s parents instilled in him at an early age that he could do anything he set his mind to. This set him on the path, which led him to becoming a medical doctor and cardiovascular surgeon. However, it is what Mr. Barnard did on December 3, 1967 that would forever change the world. It was on that day that Barnard performed the first successful human to human heart transplant. Conclusion and the Gospel: The men mentioned above only begin to scratch the surface as to representatives of our people’s blessings to the earth. The names of others would fill volumes upon volumes. There is not an aspect of human life that one can point to and not see Jacob-Israel’s fingerprints. However, the greatest blessing Israel has brought the world is not found in the halls of industry. Nor is it found in medical institutions or fertile farmlands. Jacob-Israel’s blessing to the families of the world is found in the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
From the beginning, God’s plan for Israel was to leave our father’s house and to go to the lands, which God showed us. Repeatedly, scripture echoes this refrain. Only one people can lay claim to civilizing the entire world…taming its people and subduing the lands. Only one people can lay claim to bringing the gospel of Christ to all people. Truly, the labors of our people have blessed all the families of the earth. Our people….Jacob-Israel. Challenge: As we prepare to enter into a new year, I challenge you to be bold in defense of our people. It is okay to be proud of our people and our accomplishments. We were chosen to bless the earth and its people. Jesus told us we would be hated and despised for His name….this comes when we live according to the covenant. Our enemies hate us because of the promise that was made to us from God. God will keep his end of the agreement…..let us not be afraid to hold up our side. | 
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