Nehemiah 9:32-38
Today we read about true repentance within the heart of the people of God. They recognize that God is mighty and great, that He is faithful even when the Israelites fell into sin and turned to wicked ways. They committed to evil even when they were blessed by the Lord. They recognize that they were slaves to this wickedness because of their own disobedience and ungratefulness. It is because of their sins they acknowledge that they are in these difficult predicaments. It is in this moment they recognize they must correct their own ways and find the Lord once more.
This morning I woke up to the news of a very famous preacher and theologian that was fired from his ministry and church because of an inappropriate relationship he had with someone other than his wife of 40 years. He was a tremendously blessed preacher, had a huge following, was truly gifted in expository preaching. Sadly, he fell into the temptation of adultery and made a consequential decision.
It is a sad case that is happening too often with well-known theologians and pastors lately here in the United States. These are individuals that are blessed with certain gifts, knowledges, and following yet they fell into sin. It is easy to judge them for taking advantage of the blessings that were bestowed upon them but the reality is that they are as human as we are. We are just as capable of falling into these sins even when we have so many blessings in our lives.
When we are punished for committing sins in the midst of all these blessings, we feel the consequences of our unwise and wicked decisions. Sometimes however we blame God for the difficulties that come about our way. It is true that certain trials come into our lives to help us grow but certain trials are come into our lives because of our very own sinful decisions. It is in these moments we must acknowledge them and come to full repentance.
Proverbs 19
It is interesting I come across this verse that correlates with today’s devotion in Nehemiah. It says in verse 3, “A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord.” This has happened so many times in many of our lives where we fall into the consequences of wrong or wicked decisions yet we blame God for them. The reality is otherwise, we face the negative consequences for our choices. It was A.C. Green of the Los Angeles Lakers that once said “We all have the power of choice but once we exercise that choice, it has power over us.”