You would think that after the Jewish people rebuilt the broken walls of Jerusalem in 52 days that they would have become known as, “The Great Wall Builders.” After all, the year was 444 B.C. so these inexperienced wall builders were lacking the modern tools and tricks of the trade we enjoy today.
The fact that the walls of Jerusalem were completed at all is an incredible feat, but to do it in 52 days is nothing short of a miracle. Here is where the story we read in the book of Nehemiah gets very interesting. The Jewish people did not become known as great wall builders, but after their actions in Nehemiah chapter 8, they became known as, “A people of the Word.”
Their stand upon the Word of God became the definitive mark of the Jewish people, building walls was simply a byproduct of their devotion to living by God’s directives. Take a few minutes and read Nehemiah chapter 8. You will be glad you did.
We could learn a lot from these early Jewish believers. Christians and churches often get known for what they do or what they don’t do. We get known for building walls of good deeds, or for building religious walls that keep people from experiencing God’s glory. In either case, that is not what we should be known for. The great equalizer, the one definitive mark that every Christ-follower, and every Christ-honoring church should strive to be known by is not our actions, but our belief in, and stance upon the written Word of God.
Why? Because the Word of God transforms our hearts. In Ezekiel 36: 26-27 God says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”
One evening, Charles Spurgeon challenged his congregation at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London to take out a sheet of paper when they got home. He said to write on the blank paper one of two words, “Saved,” or “Condemned.”
There was a man in that service who simply came to please his wife and children who had been attending the church. At home, on a sheet of paper, the man began to write the word “condemned.” One of his daughters noticed that he had begun to write the letter “c” and she put her arms around his neck and said, “No father, you shan’t write that.” Tears filled her eyes and then dripped on the paper.
That night, the entire family knelt together and prayed. When finished, the man rose up and put another curve to the letter c he had written, turning it into an “S” and finished the word, “SAVED.” His heart was transformed.
This is so powerful. When the Word of God transforms our heart, it will then transform our actions.
Psalm 1: 2-4, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”
Psalm 119: 1-3; “Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart— 3 they do no wrong
but follow his ways.” (NIV).
Psalm 119: 8, “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.”
Psalm 119: 11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
D.L. Moody said, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”
It is possible to do good deeds and do them from the wrong foundation, but when you build your life upon the Word of God, you can rest assured that your actions are pleasing to God and blessed.
Become a student of the Word of God. You can find a daily Bible reading schedule at www.yourconnectionpoint.com
When you study the Bible begin with prayer and then ask these important questions as you read…
•What did that passage mean to the original listeners?
•What are the principles being taught in that passage?
•How do those principles apply today in my life?
