Today’s Reading: Nehemiah 9; Nehemiah 10; Acts 2
Scripture: Nehemiah 10:29-39
28 "The rest of the people... 29 ...bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God...
30 "We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons.
31 "...we will not buy... on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts.
32 "...to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God: 33 for the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moon festivals and appointed feasts; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings... and for all the duties of the house of our God....
35 "...for bringing to the house of the LORD each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree.
36 "...we will bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks...
37 "... the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops... 39 ...contributions of grain, new wine and oil...
"We will not neglect the house of our God."
Observation: As the people rally to God in repentance, they make commitments to follow God in tangible ways. Note that there is a social component (not mingling with the non-Jewish peoples), and an economic component (giving to support the "house of the LORD"). Their belief was demonstrated to be real by real sacrifice. There was no room here for a "belief system" that did not translate into action. The final line of this passage "We will not neglect the house of our God," is the overall theme of their commitments. They recognized that to follow God would mean a practical giving to and paying attention to the house of God. That meant not only giving to it's support, but also a firm adherence to participating in the gatherings, festivals, celebrations, and other holy times.
Application: I am calling to everyone who reads this to evaluate his (or her) commitment level to "not neglect the house of our God" and compare it to what we read here. I believe that churches in America suffer from a thoroughgoing neglect of both their financial needs and their spiritual aspects. Far too many people find it easy to simply miss any (and many) gatherings and withhold tithes and offerings. As a result, not only does the church suffer, but the church's testimony to others is weak. What does it say to an unbelieving onlooker when the vast majority those who claim to believe in the church give such small support (in money and participation) that the church operates on a shoestring? Why should anyone give credence to a message that does not motivate even those who hold to it? We need a revival that shakes our lives so that our "belief system" isn't just a mental exercise but it is a life-altering force that determines our finances, social practices, and every other aspect of our lives.
Prayer: Lord, help us to live in Your ways fully and to break out of the casual "beliefism" that looks weak because it is weak. Help us to be truly saved in every area of our lives and to make our lives be an irrefutable demonstration of the factual truth of our salvation.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 comment:
True belief always translates into changes in attitudes and actions.
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