Devotional Thoughts

Nehemiah 4:6  "So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work."   "So built we the wall." The word, so, carries a lot of weight and demands our attention. As we think of that two letter word, we see the degree to which they committed themselves. For instance, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) "God so loved the world." To what degree did He show that love? He loves us so much that "He gave His only begotten Son." That was the only way God could show the degree of love that He has for His children.    So, in what way and to what degree did the people build the wall? In today's verse, we see they "had a mind to work." They committed their will and determination to the work. They committed themselves to one another. We saw that in Chap...

Nehemiah 4:4-5    "Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:  (5)  And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders." Nehemiah was a good example for all of us in that he was a man of prayer. We remember he fasted and prayed when he first heard the report of the condition of Jerusalem. He prayed before he went in before the king. He prayed before answering the king when he asked why he looked so sad. No doubt he prayed as he observed the rubble that was all about the city. And now we find him praying again. Nehemiah was already following the direction that was given long before Paul was inspired to write, "Pray without ceasing." Why was Nehemiah praying at this time? As the men were working diligently to get the wall rebuilt, the adversaries were very angry. Sanballat and Tobiah wer...

Nehemiah 3:1    "Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel." Nehemiah 3:32    "And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants." Today's verses may seem a bit strange at first as we begin to look at them. Why would I go from verse 1 to verse 32 and not include the verses between? Chapter 3 is one of the chapters that might be tempting to skip and go right to chapter 4. The entire chapter is nothing but names.  You know, those names that are difficult to pronounce. Those names that God placed there for a reason, but we don't know that reason. There are three reasons that I include them in our study of Nehemiah. The first reason is simply because God inspired Nehemiah to list the names. The second reason is due to the beginn...

Nehemiah 2:19-20    "But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?  (20)  Then answered I them, and said unto them,  the God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."   I really do not plan to do a verse by verse commentary of this book, but these first two chapters lay the groundwork for the rest of the book.  We have already been introduced to the adversaries of Nehemiah; but, their names are Sanballat and Tobiah. They will constantly be popping their heads into the business of Nehemiah and the others as they do the work of rebuilding. We saw that the city was literally a mess. Rubble was laying all around to the point that Nehemiah could not maneuver his horse through all of it....

Nehemiah 2:17-18    "Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.  (18)  Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work." Nehemiah had been back in Jerusalem for three days when he went out at night to observe the state of the city.  In my mind, I am thinking it is even worse than he had pictured. Yes, the walls were broken down and the gates were burned; but then when he went to look at the fountain gate and the king's pool, there was no place for his horse to walk. Rubble was everywhere.  "Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned." (Nehemiah ...

Nehemiah 2:9-10    "Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.  (10)  When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel." We saw "the good hand of the Lord" was upon Nehemiah. The king was more than cooperative in providing the material things necessary for Nehemiah's work. He even sent men of authority and power along with Nehemiah to show the letters were indeed authorized by the king. There is no doubt that Nehemiah had gone from the depth of despair when he heard about the condition of Jerusalem to the heights of hope as he began the journey back to Jerusalem.  It's an amazing thing when we can see God working in a situation to bring about good results. Nehemiah encountered the governors for whom he had requested letter...

Nehemiah 2:5    "And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it." Yesterday, we saw Nehemiah stopping to seek the wisdom of God before answering the king.  I sometimes have to stop and ask myself if I truly understand even a small portion of the power of the Almighty to whom I pray.  I believe Paul had that same thought concerning God's ability and willingness to reach down and help each one of us. This he wrote in the book of Ephesians, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,  (21)  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)  I feel certain that Nehemiah did not understand the depth of God's love and grace when he stopped to ask the Lord to gi...

Nehemiah 2:2-4    "Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,  (3)  And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?  (4)  Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven." In the first two verses, we saw the Lord working with the king to the point that he was concerned about the state of heart of his cupbearer. We saw this was a very unusual thing to occur. There can be no other reason for it to happen than the fact God was moving the heart and mind of the king to show compassion. We can assume Nehemiah was a faithful servant to the king; yet, the fact remains he was a servant and very expendable. "Why are you so sad?"  Nehemiah's response to t...

Nehemiah 2:1-2    "And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king,  that  wine  was  before him: and I took up the wine, and gave  it  unto the king. Now I had not been  beforetime  sad in his presence. (2)  Wherefore the king said unto me, Why  is  thy countenance sad, seeing thou  art  not sick? this  is  nothing  else  but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid" Some wonderful and important thoughts are found in the following two verses, but my mind was taken this morning to a beautiful thought that is contained in these first two verses. Last time, we saw that Nehemiah was a servant to the king. Though it was a cushiony job in comparison to the other bond servants, it was a very dangerous job. He tasted the king's food and drink before it was served to the king. He then presented it to the king. If the food or drink had been poisoned, Nehe...

Nehemiah 1:11    "O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer."   Though Nehemiah's prayer was based upon the promise of God, he did not automatically assume God would hear and answer. Yes, there is confidence to be had when we use God's Word to pray, but it is to be done from the heart. Our prayers should originate from a sense of need and reverence for the Almighty God.   He was praying on behalf of a people who loved the Lord and honored Him. "Lord, we lift your name in the highest sense of honor and respect. We do not assume anything; rather, we desire to worship and walk in your will for us."   Then Nehemiah revealed to us his social position. "For I was the king's cupbearer." He is telling us he was rea...

Nehemiah 1:8-9    "Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying,  If  ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: (9)  But  if  ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven,  yet  will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there." Yesterday, we saw Nehemiah in a position of mourning due to the state of the city of Jerusalem. He had to sit down after hearing the news and he began to weep. But his weeping was not the only response to the news. We saw that the  weeping process led to his fasting and praying unto God. It would be good to go back to verses 5-7 to see the beginning of Nehemiah's prayer. He confessed to God that all that had fallen upon the city was because of the sin and negligence of the people. But as he confessed their sins...

Nehemiah 1:3-4    "And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.  (4)  And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven" The book of Nehemiah begins with the people of Israel being in captivity. Today's verses begin with Nehemiah seeing a man by the name of Hanani who had access to information concerning the people back in Judea who had escaped captivity. When he saw Hanani, as you would expect, he asked concerning the welfare of those Jews who remained back home.   He was told of the condition of the people and of the city. It is apparent that Nehemiah had been taken away before seeing the destruction that had taken place in Jerusalem. The news was not very good. "The people there are in great affli...

Philippians 4:19    "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Yesterday, we established the importance of having a relationship with our Lord.  He is "my God " and I love Him and I trust Him because of my interaction with Him and my experience of His providing grace through all my life.  He has never failed me; therefore my confidence level in Him is at the very highest.   My confidence in my Lord assures me of the truth of today's verse. He "shall supply all my need." I confess there are wants for which I have asked the Lord. He doesn't always give me "my wants" and I can be thankful for that. But, He has always provided everything that I need in order to live a prosperous life in Him. I think of the Apostle Paul seeking the help of God in removing something that he struggled with. God would not remove it, but He did supply Paul's need. What was that need? The Lord said, "My gr...

Philippians 4:19    "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Relationship: How is your relationship with God? That might seem like an odd question to begin our Monday morning. But it should be given very serious consideration. If you are like me, there are many people to whom I am related, but I really have no relationship. For me, it is mostly due to geographical distance that makes it difficult to have regular interaction with them. We can be related to someone without having a close relationship. Relationship requires commitment and effort to interact on a regular basis. Commitment requires each person to be willing to dedicate time to the other. So now, I ask myself once again, "How is my relationship with God?"  I know my God is committed to me. He gave His only begotten Son to die for me. I could never question His commitment. But how committed am I to Him? Am I willing to dedicate time each day by communi...

Philippians 4:13    "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  Throughout this book, Paul has given us instructions as to how we can live a joyful and productive life as a citizen of the heavenly kingdom. We can walk in fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ and in fellowship with one another. We can face difficult situations with the confidence that God is working in our lives and bringing us to a place where we can find peace and joy in our lives. We can endure as we realize that we have the mind of Christ and the ability to use His direction rather than human logic.  We can forget past failures and concentrate on present grace. We can release the things from the past that weigh us down as we go forward with the expectation of experiencing freedom and joy in Jesus Christ. We can rejoice in Him. We can release anxiety through Him. We can be patient through His strength. We can take every burden that ever is placed upon us to the very throne of heav...

Philippians 4:6-7    "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  (7)  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." These verses are often quoted and they are truly efficient when applied in our lives. There are many things which cause our minds to become a flurry of activity which in turn brings a sense of anxiety into our lives. Things happen which are out of our control and that can bring a sense of anxiety which brings unrest. In all honesty, I think I can usually turn the big things over to God and not feel such a sense of anxiety. It's the little things that I feel I should be able to handle that cause my mind to get in such a quandry. How can we avoid this when it happens?  How can we deal with it? Today's two verses show us. There are several elements that are involved in these verses. First, there i...

Philippians 4:5    "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." Paul is still instructing us as to how we are to live our lives as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Yesterday, we saw that we are to be a people with rejoicing hearts. Yes, no matter what is happening in our lives, we are children of God and can rejoice in His love and grace. Today, we see another aspect that we are to show as children of the KING of all kings.  "Let your moderation be known unto all men."  We are to show patience.  I admit to you this is one that I have not perfected. We are not born with patience; rather, it is an acquired attribute.  Paul speaks much about patience. Sometimes I get the feeling that he also had to work on patience in his life. Speaking of life in Christ Jesus, Paul wrote in Romans, chapter 5, "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  (3)  And not only so...

Philippians 4:4   "Rejoice in the Lord alway:  and  again I say, Rejoice." Paul ended chapter three by reminding us that our citizenship is in heaven. That means we are strangers and pilgrims (foreigners) in this world. The old Gospel song says, "This world is not my home. I'm just passing through." After reminding us of this truth, he now is going to tell us how we should act in this strange world in which we live. First, this world should seem strange to us. The customs and traditions of the world and the actions of the worldly minded should seem strange and out of place to us. Today, he tells us to "rejoice in the Lord."  There are times when it seems our joy might be taken away from us. There are times when we just aren't happy, but even in those times we can "let the mind of Christ" be in us. It is through His mindset that we can still rejoice to know we belong to our Father in heaven. His love has been given to us through the ...

Philippians 4:1   "Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord,  my  dearly beloved." It is very apparent that Paul loved these people. He wanted them to be blessed to the highest as they lived each day. He also realized, through his own experience, that there is only one way to achieve that height. When he spoke of himself, he used the word "attain."  He wrote in chapter 3:12, " Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after..." He was striving to arrive at the point of perfection, or maturity, in Christ. He also realized there is only one way to come to the place of maturity and that was to "stand fast (strong) in the Lord.  He wrote to the Ephesians along this same line, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." (Ephesians 6:10) We all have times when we are not as strong in our spiritual walk as we want t...

Philippians 3:20-21    "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:  (21)  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." Paul has given us wonderful things to ponder in the previous chapters and verses.  He has addressed the manner in which our attitudes should approach each day, no matter what our circumstances may be. "Let this mind be in you." He has addressed what our goal in life should be as we go from day to day. "That I may win Christ." He wrote concerning our manner of living. We are to "shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life." We are to seek the Lord and surround ourselves with other like minded individuals in order to avoid discouragement. We are to encourage one another. Today's verses tell us why we are to do those things. ...

Philippians 3:14-16   I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (15)  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. (16) Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing." Why did Paul write so much about his experiences? I'm not discounting the fact that his writings were inspired by God. But why did he feel the need to share with us his before and after story? I don't pretend to know the mind of Paul, but it seems he was trying to offset something that most of us, if not all of us have to deal - discouragement. Yes, we all have to deal with the matter of getting discouraged from time to time. That's why it is so important to surround ourselves with people like Paul who are builders instead of discouragers.  It seems to me that Paul shared both his highs and lows in l...