"FROM THE OLD HOME PLACE "

I DIDN'T DO IT!

How often have we heard our children declare, “It wasn’t me!” or “I didn’t do that!” The human tendency to shift the blame seems to be universal. Yet in other cases, some people seem to pride themselves in the idea of power and authority, or the capacity to command or to force one's will and desires upon others.

Alan Redpath helps us to reach a clear perspective regarding the application of the example of Nehemiah́s life and work to our own lives. He states that unless we as Christian people can say, as did Nehemiah, in chapter 5, verse 15 , “...SO DID NOT I, because of the fear of God.” and in thus saying, to oppose the vain practices of our days, consequently, our lives and our testimony wind up damaged. This type of refusal – “...SO DID NOT I, because of the fear of God.” – to join the crowd and give in to its demands becomes the foundation for integrity in the Christian life. At least in part, going along with the crowd may result from a degree of cowardice or a feeling of need not to be different from those around us. Nehemiah, in this way, becomes a challenge to us throughout his autobiography as he insists “...SO DID NOT I, because of the fear of God.”

The theological concept for this practice is sanctification, which refers to a progressive growth in saintliness, or Biblical correctness, in the Christian’s life. Yet another way to express it is conformity to the image of Christ in our lives. This concept also brings with it a willingness to allow God to separate us from among the others for Himself and for His purpose. Sanctification is specifically a work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the individual Christian, however, even so, we are responsible to allow it and to make it effective in our lives by way of the action of God’s grace which He made available to His children. Some of these tools that He made available are prayer, Bible study, worship, adoration, gathering together in fraternal communion for worship, and besides all this, we have the ordinances – Baptism, Feet Washing and the Lord’s supper. In addition to these, we yet have the proper scriptural use of the spiritual gifts in service to the body of Christ, the CHURCH, as part of the grace which helps us in the process of sanctification.

Your Christian experience becomes worthless, whatever might be the religious system that you might belong to, unless this experience takes you to a higher level of Biblical behavior. This growth comes in direct opposition to many of the practices which we observe in the world today.

Why not make Nehemiah’s declaration, “...SO DID NOT I, because of the fear of God.” part and parcel in your daily Christian experience?

JSturgill
May 11, 2008
Vol.2 - No.3

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