Marked

Nehemiah 12 and Acts 3
There is so much in these chapters that is hard to break down each nugget, but I will try. 

The first nugget is the way Nehemiah describes David.  He talks about David as "the man of God". What a legacy. Was David called that because he had essentially been the last king to follow God? Or did following God mark his life so much that even generations later that is how they remembered him? I think it was the latter. I want to live my life like that, not for my glory, but that God's faithfulness would be evident.

The second nugget is the response of Peter to the beggar in Acts 3. The beggar was asking for money but Peter saw past that to the real need, to the spiritual need. Instead of giving him spare change, Peter healed the man in the Name of Jesus.  What would have happened if Peter had had money to give the beggar? Would he have done what we do and just handed money to the problem and hoped it fixed itself? I don't think so. Again, I think his life was so marked by following Jesus that this was his natural response. I again want to live such a life.

The third nugget is the way the two chapters talk about being clean before the Lord.  Nehemiah talks how they dedicated the wall and themselves to God.  The choirs came and sang and marched.  The priest purified themselves and the people.  Sacrifices were slaughtered.  Everyone rejoiced.  But it took the acts of the priests, and the sacrifices and the choirs to dedicate them.  Acts talks about being dedicated to the Lord as well.  Vs 19; "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,"  The difference is; now it is our responsibility; and it is surprisingly simple. (Note: I did not say easy)  Repent and turn to God.  That's it.  Believe in Jesus who was killed.  It is no longer up to the priests and the sacrificers and the choirs to dedicate us.  The work has been done and is completed.  Now it is up to us.  Repent and turn to God, so that our sins may be wiped out and the times of refreshing will come.  Too often I rely on others for my salvation.  I figure if I go to church and clap along with the worship I good.  If I have the pastors pray over me, I must be ok.  But I don't take the responsibility upon myself to repent and turn to God himself rather than some earthly expression of Him.  I think the biggest nugget of this morning is that when I do just do the simple thing of repenting and turning to God, in every moment of my life, then my life too will be marked in such a way that I will see past immediate needs into the true needs of people, I will be able to offer physical and spiritual healing through Jesus, and I will be known as a man of God.  And then, God will get the glory.