Friday July, 16 2021 Devotional

"So I said, "The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?" - ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭5:9‬ Nehemiah had learned that some of the Jewish exiles who had returned from Babylon were abusing their brothers. They were taking advantage of their poverty, lending them money for profit and driving them even deeper into debt instead of helping them. It’s easy to excuse sinful, unloving behavior by saying “It’s just business.” We can behave toward other Christians the same way the world would and convince ourselves that it’s normal. And of course it is normal, and that’s exactly the problem. We aren’t supposed to be normal, like everybody else. We are the children of God. We are to love one another, bless one another, be kind and forgiving to one another, as God has been kind to us and forgiven us. Christians who have a need should feel confident in knowing that their brothers and sisters in Christ will receive and help them, not bury them deeper with more problems, demands, and debt. That is the way of the World; we live God’s way. We’re called to be better than normal! Lord, forgive my cold, worldly attitude toward my brothers in Christ. Give me a heart of compassion to show the kindness of God at every opportunity, for Jesus’ sake. Amen. Pastor Dan Giles