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| Vol. 13 No. 10 October 2011 | Page 12 |
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| Vol. 13 No. 10 October 2011 | Page 12 |
Ernest S. Underwood
The ridiculing and holding in contempt those who believe in the absolute authority of the Bible is not a new thing. David in the long ago stated: “The proud have me in great derision, Yet I do not turn aside from Your law” (Psalm 119:51). Do you suppose that David was accused of being a “hate monger” when he spoke against the sins of his day? One thing we do know, he would not give in to the practice of trying to be “politically correct.”
In our society today, there are those who are quick to ridicule anyone who believes in a strict moral standard, and who believes that God is the Author of such a standard. These critics believe in and practice a way of life that rejects any and all moral standards. The Hollywood crowd, the music industry and much of the media, as well as a lot of politicians, make up this motley and sleazy crowd.
God will judge them. His judgment will be according to His Word. His judgment will be exactly right (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:10)!
In the opening chapters of Nehemiah, we see a man who was consumed with God’s plan for his life. His zeal for God’s work was evident in the way he handled himself before the king, the way he responded when told about the state of Jerusalem and the planning he did while waiting for the right opportunity. Further, it was because of that zeal that Nehemiah accomplished such great things in God’s kingdom.
His zeal led him to the walls and gates of a tattered city. When Nehemiah reached his beloved town, he found a place in ruins and people who did not care one way or another. Their city – God’s city – was in terrible shape, and no one was doing anything about it. Nehemiah inspected, was honest in his assessment of the city, and got to work on God’s kingdom.
If we are honest with ourselves about God’s kingdom today, it’s not in much better shape than Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day. The walls of the church (not the buildings) are broken and the gates are burned – and maybe that is the big reason that we do not see many people these days entering the gates of the kingdom.
It is about time we fixed the city – the church. It is time that we inspect the walls and figured out where we can do some renovation and rebuilding on God’s city, the church, Jesus’ body. The walls are broken and the gates are burning – have you found your place to renovate and rebuild yet?