God’s Word Says….
Nehemiah 13:19-22 (NCV)

19 So I ordered that the doors be shut at sunset before the Sabbath and not be opened until the Sabbath was over. I put my servants at the gates so no load could come in on the Sabbath. 20 Once or twice traders and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 So I warned them, “Why are you spending the night by the wall? If you do it again, I will force you away.” After that, they did not come back on the Sabbath. 22 Then I ordered the Levites to purify themselves and to guard the city gates to make sure the Sabbath remained holy.

My Thoughts…..

Nehemiah ‘took the bull by the horn’ and made sure that the law of the Sabbath was maintained in his town! I smiled as I read through these verses, because this took real courage and boldness! But then I believe that God challenged me with the thought, but what if my men, like you and other men of God, were strong enough in your faith, and bold enough in your witness, to take such bold steps today to make sure that my Word is taught like it is true, obeyed as to avoid the fear of God’s wrath, and honored to enjoy the power of His love through miracle after miracle as He blesses His people? This could very easily create such a pinnacle of blessing and praise in our lives that we might eventually feel like we have already entered into our heavenly home! In other words, I believe that it could soon overwhelm us with a tremendous shower of God’s blessings! I am afraid that our Sabbath, and I use it interchangeably with ‘The Lord’s Day’, has become the one hour, or perhaps 2-3 hours that we spend around church for Sunday School and church. After that we tend to immediately move into our self-taught ‘modern day Sabbath’ where we do what we please, instead of the day of rest and holiness that I believe God intended it to be. Think with me for a moment about the increase in heart attacks; the many, many ill health effects that has crept upon us, and the ineffectiveness of the church today. Could it possibly be caused by the lack of rest that mankind receives – and yes, especially me? Could it be why any and everything is acceptable in our world, yet Christian/Biblical principles are frowned upon? Why should we expect any less? Friend, God loves us so much that He wants to bless us beyond anything we could even imagine, but it must be on His terms, and following His commands. We can’t expect to receive His fullness and His rich blessings, when we disregard His written instructions (His Word – The Bible) and continue to act like we did before we invited Him to take charge of our lives.

Challenge……

How important is God’s blessings to you? How important is it to you that this world be impacted for God’s glory, because of your stance for God and His Word? I am convinced that we need to stop riding the fence, and decide this day who we will serve. If indeed it is God, then let’s do it wholeheartedly, without reservation, and stand up to any opposition, whether it’s in teaching, or practicing otherwise. We are sitting on, and treating way to lightly, the power of our Mighty, but Loving and Awesome God. Choose this day whom you will serve! Then as any good attorney would do in order to be effective in a courtroom, read the Book of instruction and follow its teachings. It leads to Christ. Exactly where you and I should be in all Truth and obedience.

Prayer…

Lord Jesus, I’m afraid that we (Christians) have not given up our worldly roots and truly learned to follow You. Thank You for all that You offer to us, and want to do for us. Please take control of our minds, our most inner beings, and help us to be firm in our faith, obedient in our decisions and actions, and bold in our witness to others, after we have cleared the ‘plank’ from our own eyes and lives. Lord, I must ask You to first of all do this in my life, but Master, I would humbly ask that You then start from the top of our earthly role models with the same impact. Begin with our pastors, then all the way down to our church attendees. Please help us to truly be all that we claim to be, children of Yours – living lives exampled after You and in appreciation for all that You did for us so that we may enjoy the benefits of eternity with You in heaven! You are God alone, please help us to honor You in and through our lives while here on this earth, is my humble and heartfelt prayer. For it is in Your most precious and holy name that I pray, AMEN!

Action…..

In response to God leading You through this devotional today, please get with a Bible teaching Pastor you may know and allow him to guide you. Otherwise feel free to reply to my post online, or you may email me directly at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I will gladly add you to my prayer list, and/or respond to your request(s) ASAP.