Day 35 of 90 Devotion

Dearest e-votees-

Day thirty-five of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible. If you want to see the readings for our trip through the Bible you can follow this link:

www.christthegoodshep.org/biblein90days.html

Peace,
Karl

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Day 35 Readings: Nehemiah 1:1-13:14

Today's reading provides a summary of the on-again off-again relationship that the people had with God. They would find a rallying point or a motivation to be more attentive to God: restoring the Temple as in Ezra, rebuilding the wall as in Nehemiah, discovering the law again, seeking deliverance from the Egyptians or the Babylonians or the Romans, etc., etc. People would gather and work and pray and repent and hear and promise. Then, not so very long after, they would fall away again.

God allows the consequences (and sometimes causes the consequences) that happen in response to the broken covenant. When things get bad enough the cycle repeats.

Is this our pattern too? Do we find reasons to get excited about our faith and our relationship with God? We gather and work and pray and repent and hear and promise. But then, not so very long after, we fall back into familiar patterns. We make choices that betray our promises. We don't love God with all of our hearts and souls and strengths and minds. And we certainly don't love our neighbors as ourselves. We neglect the law and the prophets.

Consequences come our way--some natural and some perhaps even God-given. When things get bad enough perhaps we'll seek to return to God.

The thing is that we are creatures that function in cycles. C.S. Lewis does marvelous work in talking about the laws of undulation in Screwtape Letters. We wax and wane. We rise and fall. We get enthused and we lose spirit.

But God does not. God is good and faithful all the time. God's mercies are new every morning. God will not forsake us forever. The good news is that salvation has nothing to do with how steadfast we are. It is all about our faithful God.


God, help us to never forget you. But, when we do, draw us back. Help us cast our eyes on your saving ways. Amen.