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What's
Missing?
The
year was 444 B.C.
The city of Jerusalem lay unprotected because
its walls had been broken down and its gates had been
burned with fire by Nebuchednezzar, King of Babylon,
and his army. However,
a man by the name of Nehemiah, who had been serving as
cupbearer to the King of Persia (the dominant world
power at that time), was given permission to go to
Jerusalem, his homeland, to rebuild the walls around
the city.
After
Nehemiah inspected the damaged walls for himself, he
exhorted the people of Israel to help him to rebuild
the walls around Jerusalem.
The Israelites rallied to the cause.
With Nehemiah’s leadership, they rebuilt the
walls in just 52 days!
Now
that the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, her
inhabitants felt safe again.
Yet,
they felt “something”
was missing...
Now
all the people gathered together as one man in the
open square that was in front of the Water Gate of
Jerusalem, and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the
Book of the Law which the LORD had given to them
through Moses. Ezra
read from the Book from morning until midday while the
people stood. When
he finished reading, the people wept.
Why?
Because they had disobeyed the Lord’s
instructions.
However, from that day on, they renewed their
commitment to reading and heeding
the Lord’s commands (Read Nehemiah 8 in the Bible).
Reflect
upon the context of this event again.
The wall reconstruction project had
been completed and the people had moved into their own
homes. Yet,
there was “something”
missing. There
was a spiritual vacuum in the city which could ONLY be
corrected by - wiping the dust off of God’s Word,
reading it, accepting it, and obeying it.
I’m
afraid many today feel secure in the “walls” of
their own homes and in the routine of their every day
lives. Many
of them have all of the “creature comforts” that
money can buy. But,
I also believe that many of them STILL feel empty and
dissatisfied.
Why?
Because there is a spiritual vacuum in their
lives. As
someone has well said, “There is a God-shaped
hole in their hearts that ONLY God can fill.”
The
remedy is the same as it was in Nehemiah’s day.
WE need to dust off our Bibles, read
them, accept the teachings therein, and obey them!
Outside
the walls of our comfortable yet unsettled lives, God
is calling each and every one of us, inviting
us into a relationship with Him.
This relationship has been made possible
through the GIFT of His Son whom He sent to die for
our sins -- the very things that put a wall up between
us and the God of heaven.
Whoever hears His word, believes it and
believes in the One (Jesus) who is God’s answer for
sin, and obeys the instructions of repenting
of our sins, confessing Christ
before men, being baptized
for the forgiveness of sins, and THEN following Him
for the rest of his/her life, is welcomed into the
only relationship that can give us what we are
missing.
Is
something -- or Someone -- missing in your life?
There IS if
you don’t have God!
Won’t
you believe and obey? (click
here)
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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