Daily Devotional
May 16 - May 22, 2010
May 16
Nehemiah 7-8
"Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (8:10). When Ezra the priest read the Law, the people wept (v9). They realized how far they had fallen from God's plan. They were Abraham's descendents, bound to God by a holy covenant. They mourned for all that had been lost by sin. But Nehemiah told them: "eat of the fat, drink of the sweet," and celebrate the new beginning.
God does not hold the past against us. After we repent, He calls us to celebrate - all His promises are "yes" in Christ (II Cor 1:20).
May 17
Psalm 95
"Come let us worship ... for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand" (v7). The Maker of the universe does not watch our struggles from afar (v6). The great King who formed the sea and mountains is a tender Shepherd, and He is intimately involved with His creation. God requires one main thing from us: trust. A generation of Israelites didn't trust their Shepherd, and they lost the Promised Land (v11).
God wants us to know Him; our only obstacle is the hardness of our hearts (v8).
May 18
I Corinthians 9
"So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel" (v14). The Corinthians were wondering if their pastors (and families, v5) should be supported financially by the church, or if the pastors should pay their expenses by secular work. The ancient priests ate the temple food, (v13), and Paul argued that gospel ministers should "get their living" from serving the church. However, Paul himself did not use this right (v12) so that he could "win the more" (v19).
Paul lived not for financial gain, but "for the sake of the gospel" (v23).
May 19
I Corinthians 10
"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful..." (v11). We read good books "so that we know we are not alone." This applies exponentially to the Scriptures. Paul explained that the Old Testament stories are "examples for us" (v6), and "for our instruction" (v11) - illustrations for good and for bad. We don't have to repeat our ancestors' mistakes, if we remain humble; "let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (v12).
Our struggles have been experienced by every generation, and God is able to help us endure (v13).
May 20
Nehemiah 9-10
"But Thou art a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness" (v17). This is the message of the Old and New Testaments. When the Jewish exiles were restored to their land, they remembered all that God had done for their ancestors. In the desert, the Israelites "acted arrogantly" (v16) and took God's provision for granted, but God still gave them manna (v20). They rebelled many times, but God "did not forsake them" (v17).
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8).
May 21
Nehemiah 11-13
"Do we then hear about you that you have committed all this great evil by acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?" (13:27). Solomon was the wisest man in the world, yet even he was drawn into sin by his marriages with idol-worshippers (v26). The foreign wives in Nehemiah's time were apparently not converts to Judaism (like Ruth). Instead, they retained their language (v24) and evil cultural practices, so their children did not know God, just like many of King Solomon's children.
"Even Solomon" could not resist the influence of his pagan wives. Our closest relationships shape our characters.
May 22
Esther 1
"Then the king became very angry and his wrath burned within him" (v12) . Queen Vashti did what she believed was right, no matter the consequences - just like Esther . The King of Persia and his companions had been partying hard for seven days (v7). The King commanded Vashti to come and "display her beauty" before the men - an unusual and disrespectful request for that culture. Vashti refused, the King was embarrassed, so her crown was taken away.
Like Vashti, we may experience unpleasant consequences for "doing the right thing." But God sees and rewards the motives of our hearts.
