The Book of Nehemiah is not just history. It is full of rich treasure for our daily walk with God. A few of the jewels shone out and impressed me again with their fire and clarity.
9:36 - We are slaves in the land of our inheritance; slaves in the very land You gave us to rule.
While meditating on this travesty, my thoughts jumped to II Peter 1:3, which tells us that we have been given everything for victorious life and godliness. Yet are we not often in bondage to the flesh, enslaved by habit, mentally lazy?
Why? With such an inheritance, why are we not more than conquerors?
9:7-8 - God chose a man, found his heart, gave him a promise and kept His word.
For us who have already been chosen in Christ, could it be that our hearts are so distracted, so taken up with other things, that God cannot find them? Is my heart totally available to be found by God in such a way that He can trust me with His secrets?
(Oswald Chambers) The one marvellous secret of a holy life lies not in imitating Jesus but in letting the perfections of Jesus manifest themselves in my mortal flesh. In Jesus Christ is the perfection of everything and the mystery of sanctification is that all the perfections of Jesus are at my disposal.
6:2-3 - Sanballat tried to seduce Nehemiah into meeting with him in the plain of Ono. But Nehemiah said, "O no! I am doing a great work and cannot come down."
We need to be aware of the "Sanballats" and be on guard against them. Big or small, no matter what we are doing, if we are obeying God we are doing a great work because eternity is involved. Big or small, no matter what we are doing - saying - thinking, if we are not obeying God, we are coming down.
Oh God, please find my heart and make it a heart of such purity that eternal promises can be made there.
With love and prayers,