Main Point and Overview:
Just because you’re living for God now does not mean that you will be living for God tomorrow! Let that resonate in your mind for a minute. Nehemiah learned this lesson the hard way with the people he was attempting to lead. Nehemiah had returned to Babylon, most likely summoned back to his role as Cupbearer to the King. His work was complete. The walls were restored, and the people were revived in their worship to Yahweh…until they weren’t! When Nehemiah was made aware of their “backslidden state,” he returned to Jerusalem with his final reforms recorded in God’s Word. When he returned, he was deeply disappointed in the people, and it showed in his very aggressive challenges, critiques, and corrections. What they had promised to do for God was not being done. In fact, they had allowed the corrupt culture around them to once again seep into their families. I wonder…how intentional are you in vigorously and emphatically protecting your family’s spiritual lives? What’s interesting about Nehemiah is that he realized that he could not “make the people do right!” All he could do was to point them in the right direction, and the rest was up to them. On multiple occasions, after he challenged their behavior and gave them instructions, he prayed to God for favor and justice. It’s almost as if he was telling God that there was nothing more that he could do, and in essence, he wanted God to know that at least he had been faithful. You can have pastors preach to you God’s Word. You can have teachers “break down” Old Testament stories. You can have Bible study Apps, Church podcasts, and even devotionals from our pastors here at Emmanuel, but if you don’t apply the truth to your life, you are no different than the Israelites during Nehemiah’s time. What promise have you made to God that you are currently breaking? Maybe a time when you “came back” to God only to “walk away” a short time later? In the end, we are all responsible for ourselves. Years ago, I had a mentor who helped me in my youth ministry. He would always tell the students that he was “pulling for them!” In other words, the choice to do good or evil was ultimately up to them!
Just because you’re living for God now does not mean that you will be living for God tomorrow! Let that resonate in your mind for a minute. Nehemiah learned this lesson the hard way with the people he was attempting to lead. Nehemiah had returned to Babylon, most likely summoned back to his role as Cupbearer to the King. His work was complete. The walls were restored, and the people were revived in their worship to Yahweh…until they weren’t! When Nehemiah was made aware of their “backslidden state,” he returned to Jerusalem with his final reforms recorded in God’s Word. When he returned, he was deeply disappointed in the people, and it showed in his very aggressive challenges, critiques, and corrections. What they had promised to do for God was not being done. In fact, they had allowed the corrupt culture around them to once again seep into their families. I wonder…how intentional are you in vigorously and emphatically protecting your family’s spiritual lives? What’s interesting about Nehemiah is that he realized that he could not “make the people do right!” All he could do was to point them in the right direction, and the rest was up to them. On multiple occasions, after he challenged their behavior and gave them instructions, he prayed to God for favor and justice. It’s almost as if he was telling God that there was nothing more that he could do, and in essence, he wanted God to know that at least he had been faithful. You can have pastors preach to you God’s Word. You can have teachers “break down” Old Testament stories. You can have Bible study Apps, Church podcasts, and even devotionals from our pastors here at Emmanuel, but if you don’t apply the truth to your life, you are no different than the Israelites during Nehemiah’s time. What promise have you made to God that you are currently breaking? Maybe a time when you “came back” to God only to “walk away” a short time later? In the end, we are all responsible for ourselves. Years ago, I had a mentor who helped me in my youth ministry. He would always tell the students that he was “pulling for them!” In other words, the choice to do good or evil was ultimately up to them!
Posted in Devotional