Send to Kindleby Robin McKinley,
Narrated by Artificial Intelligence, Eric,
Click Above to Read and/or Listen to the Devotional
Isn’t it amazing how things change with time? Things that once were wrong are now right. Activities that society frowned upon they now accepted.
Even in the church, many Christians act as if God has changed His mind on certain things. We must, however, stand firm on God’s principles.
Then I commanded that the gates of Jerusalem should be shut as darkness fell every Friday evening, not to be opened until the Sabbath ended. I sent some of my own servants to guard the gates so that no merchandise could be brought in on the Sabbath day. Nehemiah 13:19
I remember the time when people revered Sunday as a special day. Not many convenience stores existed, and Mom-and-Pop stores took the day off. About the only businesses that opened their doors consisted of drugstores and restaurants.
One town along the New Jersey shore observed Sunday as sacred in a serious way. During my freshman year in college, a bunch of us went to that town for a weekend. On Saturday night, the town’s folks advised us to park our cars outside of the city limits. The reason; they closed the gate at midnight, and they didn’t reopen it until early Monday morning.
Nehemiah’s Dilemma
Nehemiah faced quite a dilemma. He wanted to stand firm in God’s principles of keeping the Sabbath. It seemed, however, that no one else cared because all types of activities happened within the city walls on the Sabbath.
In those days I saw men of Judah treading out their winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in grain, loading it on donkeys, and bringing their wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of produce to Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath. So I rebuked them for selling their produce on that day. Nehemiah 13:15
Non-Jewish residents also participated in the Sabbath Day activities. It had the feel and atmosphere of a regular weekend flea market.
Some men from Tyre, who lived in Jerusalem, were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise. They were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah—and in Jerusalem at that! Nehemiah 13:16
The history of Israel, which had caused the nation trouble in the past, fueled Nehemiah’s conviction. Therefore, he refused to give in to compromise.
So I confronted the nobles of Judah. “Why are you profaning the Sabbath in this evil way?” I asked. “Wasn’t it just this sort of thing that your ancestors did that caused our God to bring all this trouble upon us and our city? Nehemiah 13:17-18
Do Not Compromise, Stand Firm on the Principles of God
The culture of our day makes it easy to compromise. In fact, it frowns on those who won’t compromise in some areas. For Christians, this can be a problem because God’s standards remain unchanged.
So, let me ask you, how serious are you about your convictions? Are you willing to close the gates of your life to keep something out that shouldn’t be there?
Are you willing to take a stand on a godly principle that the world doesn’t accept? Perhaps you have changed your position on something you once felt strongly about.
However, instead of taking a stand, it was much easier to go along with the status quo of what others were doing.
By the way, that town in New Jersey. . . it keeps its gates open seven days a week. Make sure that you maintain the spirit of Nehemiah when it comes to upholding the convictions of the Holy Spirit.
Lord, help us to stay spiritually strong so we keep away from compromising in our walk with you.
About the Author:
Robin, with his wife Cindy, became children’s evangelists early in their ministry. They ministered to children full time for 8 years. During that time they developed several children’s stories which were told with visuals and puppets.
Robin recently turned two of those stories into children’s books. One is called “The Contest,” a book about the Fruit of the Spirit, and the other is called “Twas the Night of Christmas”. He has also authored 5 volumes of devotional books called, 3 Minutes Alone with God. Each entry is a product of his personal biblical Journaling.
These and his other writings are available on his website called Christian Perspectives at www.ramckinley.com. When you visit this site, you can sign-up for newly written devotions as they come out which will be emailed to you.
Presently Robin is the pastor of Calvary Christian Center in Pottstown, PA. He is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God. He and his wife make their home in Birdsboro, Pa. He also serves as the president of the local ministerium. He and Cindy have two married sons and four grandchildren.
