Has the Lord ever given you the same message from different sources? It gives you goosebumps, doesn’t it? When God repeats something, it must be important.
My women’s Bible study has been studying "The Organic God," a refreshing, powerful book by Margaret Feinberg. No, this is not about a tofu-eating, Birkenstock-clad Jesus, but about seeing God for who He is, in all the purity of His character. This week we looked at Ezekiel 16:49: “’Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.’”
Then today I prepared for my Sunday school lesson in Nehemiah and read: “’You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands’” (Nehemiah 9:29), and “’They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness. But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they put your law behind their backs’” (Nehemiah 9:25-26).
Arrogant. Overfed. Unconcerned. Sound familiar?
How can we follow the path of Israel’s restoration rather than Sodom’s destruction? We can look to Israel’s humble prayer of confession, acknowledging God’s sovereignty. “’In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong’” (Nehemiah 9:33).
In our land of prosperity and abundance - even in today's economic crisis - these sinful attitudes subtly creep into our lives when we aren't paying attention. Let's be on the alert, humble ourselves before God, and cultivate concern for others.Labels: arrogance, humility, Nehemiah