Godly living – Page 20

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 9, Day 6

Saturday: Never Abandoned

Text: 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. (Neh. 9:31)

Teach: Occasionally, I will ask a gathering of believers to share a Bible promise. Inevitably, someone will mention Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” This is what God told Jacob. It’s also what Jesus told his followers: “be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end” (Matthew 28:20).

Take: Psalm 139 is one of my favorites. I remember when I discovered it. I was in high school and our teacher had us read the poem, “The Hound of Heaven.” The author, Francis Thompson, is described as a tortured soul, one who battled addictions. But he, like David, and the rest of us, realized that God is a relentless pursuer. But he is also gracious and merciful. No matter what we’ve done, how arrogant or disobedient we are, he will never abandon us.

Task: Make time to read Psalm 139, or the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) and thank God for his gracious mercy. He will never leave you. Ever.

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 9 Day 4

Thursday: No One Like Our God

Text: 6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (Neh. 1:6)

Teach: When Moses gave the people God’s commandments, he began by telling them to acknowledge that there were no other gods before the LORD. He is the creator, the one who breathed life into everything. As a young teen I learned this truth. We would sing a chorus that said, “There is enough of God in nature, His power is clearly shown. A man has no excuse for wondering. God and heaven are known (see Romans 1:20).”

Take: When I sit out under a clear sky and see the multitude of stars above, I can’t help but think of God speaking to Abraham or David penning Psalm 8. And I want to break into a chorus or two of “How Great Thou Art.”

This verse in Nehemiah speaks to me of perspective: how great God is and how small, or insignificant, I am. And yet he loves me. He loves us. It really is amazing.

Task: We will have God’s perspective when we are aware of our position in relation to him. Psalm 8 tells us that God’s majesty fills the earth, but that he made us to care for his creation. There is trust and relationship implied throughout his Word. Pray through Psalm 8.

LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?[c]
5 You have made them[d] a little lower than the angels[e]
and crowned them[f] with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their[g] feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 9 Day 3

Wednesday: What Is Worship?

Text: 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God. (Neh. 1:3)

Teach: You’ve probably heard the saying, “Confession is good for the soul.” Many attribute this to a Scottish proverb, but note that it should read, “Open confession is good for the soul. There is a sense of accountability implied in that openness. The people who listened to the Word were in this together, so there was personal as well as corporate confession taking place.

Take: As you can probably imagine, Jesus had something to say about confession: Therefore whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32). Paul speaks to the emphatic nature of confession to the Romans: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

And just what is confession? The best explanation I heard was many years ago when I was a counselor at church camp. The speaker was explaining what it meant to confess to a group of teenagers. He told them confessing was telling God everything he knew about them was true. What I like about that is it works for our confession for our salvation and for the sins we commit after.

Task: Take time today to confess. What do you need to acknowledge that God already knows about you?

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 9 Day 2

Tuesday: Come Apart

Text: 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. (Neh. 1:2)

Teach: Separated. Chosen. Picked. That’s what God’s people are. Peter declares it this way: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). In the original language, to be holy is to be set apart for special use.

Take: Jesus in one of his final recorded prayers (see John 17) speaks to how his followers will be in this world, but not of it. Paul expounds on this when he urges the Roman believers: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-2a). We’re in this world, but the way are needs to reflect whose we are. Separate doesn’t always mean far away. We need to be sure the world can see the difference in us.

Task: Inventory time. As you pray today, ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind the ways you are different, and perhaps where you have compromised. Are you ready to separate yourself?

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 9 Day 1

Monday: Feasting Turns to Fasting

Text: On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. (Neh. 1:1)

Teach: Fasting isn’t an easy topic to address with people, primarily because we don’t like to go without. But fasting also presupposes the awareness of need or sin, something isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. Here in Nehemiah, the people had been listening to and convicted by God’s plan and purpose as lined out in the Law.

Take: Jesus speaks about fasting in the Sermon on the Mount: 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Matthew 6:16-18). Did you catch the implication? He isn’t commanding fast, he’s not even suggesting it, he’s assuming we will.

Task: Can you think of time when you don’t have or know of a spiritual need? Me either. Pray with me today and ask that God would enlighten us on when and how we should fast.

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 8 Day 2

Tuesday:

Text: 2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand.

Teach: Ezra was most likely reading the Torah, which contains the five books of Moses. This would be the basics of Jewish religion and civil law. The focus was probably on Deuteronomy. Why would this be important? The people realized that God enabled them to complete an impossible task. What else does this God have to say, and say to me, to us? Ezra gave them a solid foundation to understand the relationship God wanted and wants to have with his people.

Take: The day the people came together would be the equivalent of our New Year’s Day. A day of celebration and fresh beginnings. Chances are you’re not reading this on New Year’s Day, but it can be a day of fresh beginnings. No matter what kind of Bible reading plan you may have abandoned in the past, you can begin fresh today. And that doesn’t just apply to Bible reading, but any and all spiritual habits and disciplines.

Task: Find an app or a site on the internet, there are plenty to choose from. Or just start reading. Proverbs has 31 chapters. Read the chapter that corresponds with the numeric day of the month. Start reading a gospel. Start reading and keep going. And if you are a regular reader: may you be blessed and your tribe increase!

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 8 Day 7

Sunday:

Text: 18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.

Teach: Ezra read and the people listened. And they celebrated.

Take: Consistency. Repetition. The experts say it takes repeating a behavior for twenty-one days to create a habit. New habits are much easier to break than old ones. I’ve been reflecting on this a lot lately, as I try to establish a healthier lifestyle. It’s much easier to be lazy and to eat poorly. But my physical body craves health and wholeness as much as my spirit craves the holiness.

Task: Are there healthy and holy habits you want to establish in your life. God desires those things for you, too. Jesus claims he came that we would have live and life abundant. Paul teaches that God is in the business of making all things new. Let’s pray for a greater spirit of obedience and consistency.

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 8 Day 6

Saturday:

Text: 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.

Teach: The people heard the teaching about the Feast of Tabernacles and their response was immediate. They built their booths and dwelt in them. And the result of their obedience was great joy.

Take: Wiersbe notes the Feast of Tabernacles had three purposes: to look back and remember the wilderness journey; to look around at the blessings that come from the harvest at hand; and to look ahead to the glorious coming kingdom (Be Determined, p. 103). God’s instruction and command is for us to take stock, be aware, and get ready.

Task: The joy of our relationship with God is rooted in obedience. Lacking joy? Check your OQ, obedience quotient.

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 8 Day 5

Friday:

Text: 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

Teach: The people heard the Word, the Law specifically. The job of the Law is to convict, and by convicting to bring confession and repentance. Too often, however, when the Holy Spirit brings conviction and people feel remorse and regret, they get stuck and never move on. Ezra, Nehemiah, and the other leaders realized this and encouraged the people to move beyond regret to celebration.

Take: One of the enemy’s most cunning deceptions is to move in at the moment of conviction and attempt to deceive the penitent person into believing that whatever their sin is, it is far too great to be forgiven. As a result, there is much sadness. The Word is very clear on this: If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong (1 John 1:9, NLT).

Task: Does the enemy seek to steel your joy? Does he cause you to dwell in regret? David understood that and asked God to restore the joy of his salvation (see Psalm 51). I had a pastor who often told the congregation, “God has sent your sin into the sea of forgetfulness and posted a no fishing sign.” God wants you to move on into joy.

Rebuilding With Nehemiah, Chapter 8 Day 4

Thursday:

Text: 5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Teach: They heard the Word and they stood. It was an honor to hear the Word. Their response of ‘Amen!’ was their declaration of agreement. They were saying, “Make it so. We want this!” And then they prostrated themselves in fear, reverence, and humility.

Take: My early church memories took place in a mainline church, characterized by order and decorum. During confirmation class we visited other churches to observe their styles of worship. The differences in worship styles surprised me. The people seemed more engaged and demonstrative. I don’t doubt the sincerity of the people I went to church with, but there was a hunger and desire to reach God in those other services that spoke to my heart, even at that young age.

Task: Jesus told his disciples they would be blessed if they hungered and thirsted for God. Do you just nibble at God, taking in bits and pieces, here and there? Or do you crave more? Take time to check your SQ, your satisfaction quotient.