When I first completed my study of Nehemiah a few months ago, I was struck by chapter 9 and how much it seemed relevant to today. I wrote in my other blog about it. You can check it out here: http://happysteward.blogspot.com/2009/06/real-economic-stimulus.html. It seemed to me that so many of our economic stimulus efforts were ineffective and not long sighted.
In chapter 9 we find the people of Israel humbled by their sins and wanting to confess before God and restore fellowship with him. They pray acknowledging the faithfulness of God to his people and how unfaithful they themselves have been in the relationship. We need to have the same attitude when we come before the Lord in prayer. God has been faithful and has extended grace after grace in our lives, but so often we live without regard for him.
Israel acknowledges that this was the pattern of their lives as well and confessed their sin to God. They were so serious about their commitment to change that they made a binding agreement before God. Are we so serious about abandoning our sin that we would write our confession and make a binding pledge before God to change our ways? What would you write in your agreement?
As we see in this chapter, sin must be addressed in our lives to maintain fellowship with God. I pray we will all choose to see our sinful choices the same way God does and abandon them.
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