Title: The Sacrifice of a Believer/ Topic: Submission

Today’s Reading: Nehemiah 9; Nehemiah 10; Acts 2

Scripture: Nehemiah 9:1-3 & 10:30
1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God. ...
30 "We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons.

Observation: These Israelites really get what being a believer and follower of God is all about. When the Word of God is read to them and they realize the extent to which they and their parents have disobeyed God, they repent in sackcloth and ashes. They fast and confess their sins as well as the sins of their fathers. Then they take really extreme action. They separate themselves from all foreigners, including the foreign wives they had married, along with their children from those marriages. They understood from the Word of God that the marrying of and fellowshipping with unbelievers had been a major cause of their rejection of God. By putting away their loved ones who shared a different faith, they were demonstrating to God their understanding that being a follower of God meant putting His will and opinion above their own. Then they made a promise to never again commit the sin of marrying someone of a different faith.

Application: The essence of following God is submitting to his will even when I don't understand it or agree with it. I put God above myself. If I want to commit myself fully to God, I can't divide my heart by making myself one with a non-believer or a "believer" that does not desire to submit their will to God. My own sin nature gives me enough of a battle without adding to it a person who I love that won't be wanting me to put God first in my life. So the command of the Lord to not marry a non-believer is one I understand, but even the ones I don't understand I must obey because I put God's opinion above mine.

Prayer: Father, my desire is to always put you first in my life. Forgive me for giving in to my sin nature at times and help me Lord to submit to you in all things.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.