A Finished Work
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God. - >Nehemiah 6:15-16
When the other nations saw the rebuilding of the wall was accomplished, they had to come to one obvious conclusion. The God of Israel had accomplished the work––I love that. God was with Nehemiah and His people as they worked together––it was undeniable. The nations watched Nehemiah’s life as he relied on God. He never moved to the right or the left, he just stayed steady on course. There was no compromise in his life.
I have known a barber that has a shop in old town San Dimas since 1965. Over time, he has built up customers, and through his integrity they have come to trust him. He does not even have to advertise for new clients. People keep coming back to him because they know they will get their money’s worth––he does a great job. A ministry must build integrity and gain the people’s trust, and that takes time. As a church remains in one city, over the years, people will see its steadfastness and consistency in ministry. They will observe a church’s integrity and be influenced to stay.
Like Nehemiah, determine in your heart that you will not compromise. Do not do something that will cause you to sin against God. If you compromise in the beginning of your walk with God, then you will compromise the rest of your life. Seriously, you will build a bad pattern of yielding to sin. Instead, obediently submit to God: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).
As you make a stand against sin, it may seem that you are like the Lone Ranger. But when you stand for holiness and righteousness, the heavens will open up and God will bless you, I guarantee it.
A holy God calls his people to holy living. It is inconceivable that it
should be otherwise.
~John Blanchard~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!