The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Nehemiah 13:11,
"Why is the house of God neglected?"
This question from Nehemiah was asked of those who had returned to Judea from the seventy year Babylonian captivity. Nehemiah had brought some needed reforms to the Jews in Judea earlier, but had returned to King Artaxerxes. Now that he had come back to Jerusalem, he found problems at the temple.
The question seems to me to be an important one for us all. Do we neglect the house of God? In Nehemiah's day the "house of God" was the temple. Today, the people that make up the church are the temple. Peter tells us that we believers are being built into a "spiritual house", 1 Peter 2:5. As such, to neglect the house of God would be to neglect our responsibilities toward those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith.
What might those responsibilities be? In the same letter from Peter, 1 Peter 4:10, we read, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."
Paul mentions some of these things in Romans 12:4-8, "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."
Certainly Paul did not have in mind an all-inclusive list of responsibilities we have toward our other believers, but he does offer a sampling for us to get the idea.
What responsibility has the Lord called you to, such that God's house not be neglected? It was a great question in Nehemiah's day and it certainly is a good one in ours.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"Why is the house of God neglected?"
This question from Nehemiah was asked of those who had returned to Judea from the seventy year Babylonian captivity. Nehemiah had brought some needed reforms to the Jews in Judea earlier, but had returned to King Artaxerxes. Now that he had come back to Jerusalem, he found problems at the temple.
The question seems to me to be an important one for us all. Do we neglect the house of God? In Nehemiah's day the "house of God" was the temple. Today, the people that make up the church are the temple. Peter tells us that we believers are being built into a "spiritual house", 1 Peter 2:5. As such, to neglect the house of God would be to neglect our responsibilities toward those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith.
What might those responsibilities be? In the same letter from Peter, 1 Peter 4:10, we read, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."
Paul mentions some of these things in Romans 12:4-8, "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."
Certainly Paul did not have in mind an all-inclusive list of responsibilities we have toward our other believers, but he does offer a sampling for us to get the idea.
What responsibility has the Lord called you to, such that God's house not be neglected? It was a great question in Nehemiah's day and it certainly is a good one in ours.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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