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Journey To Renewal
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Repentance.....JOY!
Not long ago I was at a girl-friend gathering, and a Christian friend made the comment that she is nothing but a dirty, rotten sinner who is saved. As a sinner, this is true. However, I reminded her that Jesus took upon Himself all our sin so that now she is no longer a sinner but the righteousness of Christ, a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 17, 21). This woman came from a terrible upbringing -- sexual and physical abuse, bad marriages, and lots of other depressing stuff. She has a sweet spirit but she can't get beyond that she is a sinner. That's sort of what was going on in Nehemiah's time. After being nearly wiped out of existence due to ignoring God and His judgment, a remnant of the Jewish nation had returned to Jerusalem. But the city was nearly empty and rebuilding the Temple was impeded because the wall of the city had been destroyed. Under the guidance of Nehemiah as the civil governor and with permission from the king of Persia, the wall was rebuilt in only 52 days, 142 years after its destruction! After the wall was fortified, Nehemiah and Ezra the priest gathered the people. For seven days, from early morning to midday, Ezra and his helpers read from the Book of the Law and explained it to the people. This public reading and the explanations caused a great wave of repentance among the people, a renewal of their covenant to keep God's Holy Law. So contrite and sincere was the repentance of the people, that they were grieved, crying openly. But Ezra, Nehemiah and others encouraged the people that this was a time for joy! "Go and ejoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 NIV Beloved, every person grieves when she is aware of her sin. But there comes a time when we stop grieving! Jesus has made YOU righteous. That's a cause of rejoicing! Nehemiah told the people to eat of the fat and drink of the sweet! To share with those who have nothing! To stop grieving and to begin rejoicing in the Lord! |
Guiding Scripture... April's Scripture Then all the people went away to eat and
drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy. Write this scripture down and post it in a frequented area so it will become a part of your mind, your heart, and your soul. |
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