BBD 04.07.04 Don't Forget
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
(Over 13,000 subscribers in 75 countries)
04.07.04
Don’t Forget
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do
not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were
some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. - 1
Corinthians 6:9-11.
The Israelites had a continual problem with their memory. They would
continually forget how God had moved and worked in their lives. They would
forget how God had blessed them and made their lives better. The Israelites
would swear oaths and vows, which they would soon forget. As a result of
their forgetfulness they returned to their old way of living over and over
again.
Nehemiah was a tremendous leader who confronted the Israelites living in
Jerusalem with the truth of God’s Word and brought about once again a return
to the ways of God. Toward the end of the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah leaves
Jerusalem for two years. When he returns he finds many of the people are
once again living as they did previously. One of the greatest enemies to the
rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem was Tobiah and his friends. Imagine
how disappointed and upset Nehemiah was when he returned to Jerusalem and
found Tobiah living in a large room in the Temple of God. A priest,
Eliashib, who should have known better, offered the room to Tobiah. Nehemiah
threw Tobiah out with his furniture onto the street. Many had also begun to
intermarry with other ethnic groups as they had previously. Here is how
Nehemiah says he dealt with the situation, “So I contended with them and
cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them
swear by God, saying, ‘You shall not give your daughters as wives to their
sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves (Nehemiah 13:25).
’”
The apostle Paul reminds some of the Corinthians of where they had come
from - they had come out of sin. It is the same place from which we have all
come because “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans
3:23).” We tend to have the same memory problem as the Israelites. Even
though we like the priest, Eliashib, should know better, we have invited the
enemy back into our lives.
Living the Christian life is a continual process. We have been given all
that we need to live victorious lives (Philippians 4:19). However, we must
remember to take advantage of those resources each day. We will never
outgrow our need for prayer, Bible study, and assembling with other
believers. As soon as we neglect these disciplines, these resources of God,
we begin to slide back into our old way of living.
Have you invited the enemy back into your life? Kick him out onto the street
and return to holy living. Give your memory a reminder every day by reading
and meditating on God’s Word. Don’t forget where you came from!
Copyright © 2004. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
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