September 20 - Nehemiah 8:13-10:39

Good morning everyone,

We begin this morning with the second day following the preaching service. Ezra has gathered the priests and the Levites to bring to their attention a bit of information he came across while while pouring over the scriptures. He discovered that they should be living in temporary shelters while celebrating the festival, the Feast of Tabernacles, to help them better appreciate what their forefathers experienced. So it was, they all went out and gathered stick to build huts, and camped out. Kind of fun. My brother, every time he and his wife come to visit, likes to pitch a tent out back by our creek and sleep there. Same idea :-)

In chapter nine we see read that on the twenty-fourth day the Israelites gathered, separated themselves from all foreigners, stood in their places and confessed their sins. This was an open confession to one another and I say, what a great idea that is! Oh my word, we live in a society where everyone is so guarded and rightfully so because everyone judges everyone else. Sometimes good judgement is made, but all too often sometimes it is made unfairly and hurts someone else.  In both Matthew and Luke we can read, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” If we would all just look at our own selves first, openly confess our sins then there would be nothing anyone could hold over us. Agreed? 

Sadly, in the majority of all relationships whether church groups, friendships, and even marriages, you will find tightly locked away in a closets of the mind and heart, skeletons of mistakes, poor choices, humiliations of years gone by, sealed with years and years  or maybe even just hours of walls, trying to keep anyone and everyone from ever learning the deep dark secret, for fear of being judged. Romans 3:23 tells us that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. A sin is any thought or action that falls short of God’s will. Did you get that? Even a thought that does not fall in line with God’s will is a sin. God is perfect, and anything we do that falls short of His perfection is sin. Right?

I am not so naive as to believe that all sins carry the same weight and should be regarded with equal restitution, it is a difficult and dangerous road to travel, listing one’s sins according to their degree of seriousness. However, having said that, when a person commits a sin, is caught and pays the consequence of choice, they should have the freedom to be able to confess/talk about their experience without being judged. 

Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” What does that love look like? Well, 1 Corinthians tells us, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” Right on? Friends, if  we would all live according to this Scripture, no one would have to hide skeletons away or build huge walls in our hearts and minds to keep others out. We would be able to boldly, openly confess before our Christian family knowing it would be kept within the family where we would be embraced and encouraged. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all ….