Nehemiah 13:14, 22, 29, 31As Thanksgiving approaches, I’ve noticed news outlets, social media posts, and radio announcers remind us that the season to be filled with gratitude, remembrance, and thankfulness is upon us. It‘s funny that we must be reminded to be filled with or demonstrate those traits. The first item of gratitude that comes to my mind is that God is constant, unchanging, and unwaver...  Read More

Romans 7:21-25One of the great things (and there are many) about Paul’s writings in the New Testament is the honesty with which he writes. He is quick to call out things when warranted, but he is also quick to use himself and his own struggles as examples of what it means to live for Christ. These verses perfectly capture the struggle that not only Paul was dealing with, but the struggle that ever...  Read More

Nehemiah 13:23-31 I often remind Sarah that she made the decision to marry me when I am being crazy with Paisley running around the house, dancing in the kitchen, or outright just being crazy. (If you know me well, you know I am just a giant kid at heart ?) The same is true when she does something outside of the normal day to day life we live. It's all fun and games, but the reality is we do have ...  Read More

Nehemiah 13:15-22As we reach the end of Nehemiah, we see the relief of the walls finally completed despite all the pushback along the way. However, we see that when Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem, he finds things out of order. In the Ten Commandments, the fourth is “Remember the Sabbath Day”, yet the people inside the walls started to get away from it over time, just like their ancestors did previo...  Read More

Nehemiah 13:10-14 Now, this may be an odd devotional for me to write as a person who is in a position of leadership here at Emmanuel. However, these passages and principles are so important for us to know, we cannot just skip over them. It is important for us to care for our leaders in multiple ways. How often do we look to pray for our spiritual leaders? How often are we looking to encourage them...  Read More

Nehemiah 13:1-9Nehemiah cracks down in this passage on those who stood against him when he was trying to rebuild. He makes sure there is a consequence to those leaders who would not listen or were trying to openly oppose them. He quite literally throws out their things. He also has the rooms purified! This was a special place, an important place. While reading this, I asked the question, "Who is i...  Read More