Nehemiah

The story of Nehemiah is a fascinating one. He lived during the Persian Empire, around 425 B.C. and was a Jewish servant of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. The Israelite, Jewish, people had been in captivity and dispersed from their homeland for a long time, but some had been allowed to go home to Jerusalem. Now in Nehemiah chapter 2, we see Nehemiah is sad before the king because he realizes that the wall of Jerusalem has not been restored, and he feels greatly that this needs to be done.

The first lesson we learn here is that before doing anything, Nehemiah prays to God. This would be a great first step for us as we contemplate taking on some task. God actually cares and will direct our lives if we but let him.


Then Nehemiah asks the king if he can return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. He is granted this opportunity. We see that Nehemiah has prepared himself for this very difficult task; we need to do the same. We need to be prepared for whatever opportunity comes our way; prepare ourselves well to meet the challenges ahead, especially if we are seeking to do God's will.

The story goes on to show that Nehemiah faces lots of opposition from people outside his ranks and even some from within. Anytime we take on a challenge for good, we will face opposition; the devil will see to it. But with God's help we can overcome and persevere.

The wall was completed in 52 days! That is amazing. It had sat in ruins for so many years. We can, with God's help, turn ruined things, ruined lives, sometimes total destruction into something good, something complete, something pleasing to God. Let us prepare ourselves, look for the opportunity to serve, not be deterred by the opposition, and build for God. If you can, take the time to read the book of Nehemiah--it is a great read.


Thanks for tuning in. I hope you have a great week!

Vision Into Heaven

Most people are hesitant to spend much time in the book of Revelation because it is complicated, and it raises many questions of the meaning. But much of the book is very clear and has great meaning to us as Christians. The Bible ends with this Revelation, this view directly into heaven. The introduction tells us that Jesus reveals these things to John who is on the Isle of Patmos. Patmos is a Greek Island, quite rocky and still there today. The book describes many things that are yet to come; and we can't cover all of that here. But it is especially interesting to look at the throne scenes in chapters 4 and 5. In 4, there is a view of the Father on the throne. In chapter 5, we see Jesus there on the throne and some of the things that are going on around Him. The reader should spend a few minutes reading these two chapters. Nowhere else in this life can one get a vision into heaven like this.


Note these passages in the book of Revelation, chapters 19-22: "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True...He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God" (19:11,13). "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.....and anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (20:11-15). "Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband...And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (21:2-4). "There shall be no night there; They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever" (22:5). This is such a beautiful and powerful vision into what awaits us, as Jesus promised.

Let's make sure that we are there, that we serve Him in the way He wants here on earth...during our short time here. Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

Everything Happens For A Reason? Or does it?

We all hear this expression often. "Everything happens for a reason." No, it really doesn't; not in the way most people mean it. This is not Bible teaching; this is man's reasoning. But when you really think about it, it isn't reasonable.

Before looking at what the Bible says, let's consider a case: A man is tired, but wants to take a walk along a cliff. He knows that this is dangerous and especially so since he is very tired and a bit wobbly today. Still, he decides that he will take the chance. He walks the walk, stumbles on a loose rock and falls to his death. Should we say, "well, everything happens for a reason?" If we mean, as most people do, that this is God's plan or is in some higher scheme, it was "meant to be," we are missing the point. The reason for this death is that the man made a poor choice, and the laws of nature (gravity, etc) took over.

Now here is what the Bible tells us: In Ecclesiastes 9:11, the wise man Solomon, with God's guiding hand, tells us, "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time; like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them." Thus we learn that things happen, evil happens. And it isn't always God making things happen. We learn here that sometimes we are "just in the wrong place at the wrong time." For example, a tornado hits a neighborhood; 10 people are killed. Are they all bad, are they all good? Did God do this? The Bible tells us that this is not the case. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:45, the Father "makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust."

But we must also know that God can and does direct our lives. He does get involved; otherwise, there would be no teaching on the value and importance of prayer. We see all through the Bible that God does care...and He takes action when it is His will to do so. But let's not take the position that everything happens because God wants it to; that isn't so. Sometimes things happen because of other factors, like poor choices, or sometimes it is the work of the devil; like a murder, or a DUI driver hits a car and kills innocent people.

Finally, to end on an up note, let's remember that God loves us, loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us (Jn 3:16), and He tells us in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God...."

Thanks for reading. You are important! See you next week.

2 Great Questions of Life--OK, 3

How could a person answer three of the greatest questions of life in one blog entry? Easy, God makes this very easy. Notice the 3 big questions to follow:

1. Where did our universe come from? The Bible answers this is in the very first verse. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Period. Isn't it interesting that God started the Bible that way. No beating about the bush; no delay. Here's the truth. Believe it!

2. What is man's purpose on earth? The book of Ecclesiastes answers this and a lot of other questions about what is important during our time on earth. Eccles. 12:13 says, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all." He concludes with, "For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil."

3. What happens to man after death? This is answered in many places, but it is interesting that the Bible ends with this. Revelation 21 and 22 give a description of heaven and what awaits His followers. But it makes it clear that only the followers will triumph with Him. Rev. 22:14 says, "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." 22:20 concludes the Bible, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

The Bible from start to finish gives us all the answers. No other book anywhere even attempts to answer these questions....nor to provide the truth as we find in the Bible.

Thanks for reading! Have a God-filled week.