Today’s Reading Nehemiah 7
Focal Scripture: Nehemiah 7:2 “Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.”
Finding good and faithful people who will do what is right can be difficult. Being a man of character and integrity when things go sideways gets the attention of others. Here we see that the walls have been built and the gates were being installed.
Nehemiah needed someone to make sure the exiles who returned were safe and that happened by having people who feared God and were faithful. Nehemiah knew that not just anyone could be in this position. A person with weak character could be influenced and miss their duty.
This applies to the life of the church today. To often people are put into positions because of who they know or their way with people. Rarely are people’s faithfulness and fear of God the top priority. This choice can often lead to short term success but long lasting problems.
Hananiah was willing to go the extra mile. He would do what was difficult. He understood that serving God and not allegiance to a person was his mission. This mentality is what the world needs to see. It is what the church needs to help it grow.
When sin and evil is allowed to go unchecked the consequences can be severe. This only happens in the church when Godley men don’t stand up for the truth.
My challenge to you today is to make sure you are following godly men. Men who fear the Lord and are faithful. Also only put men in authority who will follow through with what is right. These men should be gatekeepers who protect God’s people and God’s church.
What type of people are protecting you and the church where you serve?
Tomorrow I plan on reading Nehemiah 8-9
