Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

To ensure that the Israelites did not get tempted to ignore the Sabbath, i.e. the day separated to the Lord, Nehemiah locked the gates to the city to shut out those who were selling their wares on the holy days.  Those who do not understand the feasts and why they were implemented will wittingly or unwittingly violate them. It took just a few months being away from the people for them to violate the holy day of the Lord and the merchants did not want a second chance to sell to them(13:19ff).  So what can we learn from this example today? Firstly, we need to protect the times we set aside to be with the Lord. Whether it is Friday, Saturday or Sunday, let us avoid distractions on those days and set it aside to worship the Lord. Secondly let us not be religious about the day, as Jesus said the day was made for man and not the other way around (Mark 2:27) i.e. you can reschedule. Finally, we are called to put God first in all that we do. This means that whatever talent we have we use it to bring glory to the Lord. So we glorify God if we are teaching in a school, working in a bank or putting parking tickets on cars as directed by the local authorities. Essentially we are to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all the things [you need] will be added to you also” (Matthew 6:33 paraphrased). If we fail to prioritise we will compromise.  Read Matthew 6:25-34.