May we submit to Him and be a testimony to the rest of the world. Now is a good time to read the Ten Commandments again…and yes, we are commanded to live by His Laws!
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me” “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” “Honour thy father and thy mother” “Thou shalt not kill” “Thou shalt not commit adultery” “Thou shalt not steal” “Thou shalt not bear false witness” “Thou shalt not covet”
Exodus 20 You will find these in the New Testament. We can’t hide behind the statement “they are in the Old Testament and do not apply to us.” Read them closely! Each one has been broken by all of us in some way, and by our Nation!!!
Nehemiah’s Prayer
Nehemiah 1:1-11
“It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.”
“And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
“So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
“And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.
“We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses”.
“Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’
“Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
“For I was the king’s cupbearer” nkjv Burden
When Nehemiah heard the bad news, he wept, prayed and fasted. He had a burden for Jerusalem. We need a burden for our Nation! How many tears have we shed for our Nation?
The people joined Nehemiah in the work, “let us rise up and build!”
The Church must lead the Nation back to God! The enemies are many and you and I know the True God, and we must call upon Him constantly. We are responsible in living the “renewed life” before the world. We are accountable to God for the way we live. He has shown us mercy. Let us rededicate our lives to Him.
Former Conduct
“… that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph 4:22-25) What will you do to help our Nation glorify God???
