Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." This is a life that honors God. When we love our brothers and sisters as Christ has loved us, it is a testimony to the whole world that we are God's people. This has always been true. Many of the Jews in Nehemiah's day were suffering due to a famine and they did not have enough grain to feed their families. They mortgaged their properties to pay the king's tax and sometimes had no choice but to sell their own children into slavery. The rich were making a profit from the plight of the poor by charging them interest and making their situation even more difficult. Nehemiah confronted the nobles and officials and declared "What you are doing is not right." They were not honoring God.

Nehemiah called the nobles and officials to repent by returning all the property and interest they had taken from the poor and they agreed to do it. To hold them accountable, Nehemiah made the nobles and officials swear before the priests that they would keep their promises and pronounced a curse before God if they didn't do it. He wanted them to live before God and for the glory of God. The nobles and officials did what they promised and praised God. Repentance leads to joy.


Application: Lord, help us to love one another.
One Word: Walk in the fear of our God