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August – September 2026: The Book of Nehemiah
On Tuesday 18th August we began a brand new series of Daily Inspirations – in the Book of Nehemiah. It’s a riveting tale of someone being called by God to do something amazing – and then doing it! Nehemiah is a wonderful character, full of faith, wisdom and practical common sense. Let’s journey with him over the next three weeks or so, and be inspired by his example.
- Day 24, Monday 21st September – Nehemiah 13:15-22 ‘Respecting the Sabbath’
We live in a workaholic society. Take the Enlightenment dogma of continuous progress, mix with a subtle blend of the Protestant work ethic, add a sprinkling of consumerist worship at the altar of customer entitlement, shake thoroughly and hey presto! A fabulous modernist cocktail. And, like a cocktail, tasty as it seems at the time, drink too many and you’ll pay for it in the end.
Teaching on the value of sabbath has never been more important, or harder to achieve. It’s tempting to think, though, that it ‘must’ have been easier in ancient times. Not so; although at first reading today’s passage appears as yet another example of ‘silly’ disobedience on the part of God’s people – they know what they needed to do, they just didn’t do it – look below the surface and this fragile community were facing serious pressures. Imagine leaving Babylon – the largest and wealthiest empire in the world – to set up business again in Israel: chances are business was tough, the large and lucrative markets weren’t there, especially with hostile nations around them. No wonder they were tempted to open on the Sabbath; to do seven days of business rather than six.
It’s so easy to think like that, isn’t it? But to do so misses the ultimate point of Sabbath: it is not just about rest (though that is vital and fundamental), it’s about trust. We stop for a day, trusting God to provide for our needs. We refuse to believe the appealing little lie that our success in life depends entirely on our own efforts. We remind ourselves that we are not our own gods, and joyfully submit to the one true God, who graciously and lovingly provides what we need.
This is what Nehemiah was so worked up about; we might see his response as an over-reaction, but Nehemiah knew his history: (v18) ‘Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.’ The Sabbath, almost more than any other commandment, was a touchstone of the people’s relationship with the Lord – precisely because it indicated how much they were trusting Him. Hence the extreme measures Nehemiah took to preserve it (vv19-21).
As we reflect today, let’s return to those Sabbath themes of rest and trust. Which speaks to you? Where is the Lord nudging you toward renewal in your life? And let’s use the words of Nehemiah’s simple prayer as our response: (v22) ‘Remember me… my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.’ Amen.
- Monday 13th July – Acts 6:1-7 ‘Practically spiritual’Read more...
The spiritual life is often thought to exist ‘in another dimension’. And sometimes, it does. Miracles, prophetic words of knowledge, angelic languages – these are not ‘worldly’ things. But sometimes, we can fall into the trap of believing that unless it’s a bit weird or quite obviously ‘supernatural’, that the Spirit of God isn’t in it. We need to beware this ...
- Saturday 11th July – Acts 4:23-31 ‘Spiritual grace for testing times’Read more...
True goodness unsettles people. It might seem a strange thing to say, but time and again it has been demonstrated in the history of the church. Jesus himself was of course the perfect example of this: but it didn’t take long for his followers to discover the same reality. Opposition to the early Christians began remarkably quickly – in today’s passage, ...
- Friday 10th July – Acts 2:1-21 ‘Weak made strong’Read more...
You knew we’d get there eventually. Day 29 on our journey through the Spirit in the Bible and, yes, we’ve finally got to the passage that you might have thought we’d cover on Day 1: Pentecost, the pouring out of the Spirit in a new and glorious way: on all people, for all time.
There’s so much we ...
- Thursday 9th July – Acts 1:1-8 ‘To the ends of the earth’Read more...
In 1995, a man left his well-paid job in New York, moved to Seattle, and began a business operating out of the garage in his new rented home. He started by selling books in the newly emerging online market. The first book he sold was ‘Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought’ by Douglas Hofstadter. ...
- Wednesday 8th July – John 20:19-23 ‘Re-creation’Read more...
During the covid pandemic a few years ago, it sometimes became quite hard to remember what ‘mass gatherings’ used to look like, but one of the more unusual mass gatherings of people in the last couple of generations has been the popularity of re-enacting major battles. I remember watching one about 30 years ago in Suffolk – truthfully I can’t remember ...