CONVICTION

Today I read Nehemiah 8:1-12. This is the account of the time that Ezra, the priest, reads the Law to the people. They people all gathered at the Water Gate of the city in the square by the gate. It says that he read from it all morning, “from early morning until midday.” (vs. 3) It also says how attentive the people were to hear the word. They did not complain about the length of the reading or the time of the day. When Ezra stood up to read, all of the people stood as well. They honored God’s Word and showed respect to it. They worshiped the Lord and there was physical evidence of that worship in their behavior. Upon completion of the reading Ezra blessed the Lord. “The people answered ‘Amen! Amen!’ while lifting up their hands. Then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” (vs. 6) This wasn’t just for show, but it was the attitude of their hearts. When was the last time you truly showed reverence for God and His word that you actually got on your face before Him? I know that I don’t do it at church when everyone would be watching. I might raise my hands, but even then I feel like others will think I am one of “those charismatic weirdoes.”

It was then that the priests (the Levites vs. 9) began to give the explanation. They didn’t just read and go home, but it was explained in an expository manner, I would presume from the scripture. Verse 8 says “They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.” Think about this, they had just been standing all morning hearing the Word read from early morning until midday AND, THEN, they began to have the Word explained.

But the reaction of the people was what struck me about this passage. Verse 9 says that Nehemiah, the governor, told them not to “mourn or weep, For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law.” When was the last time I actually wept when I heard the Word of God read and explained? When was the last time that I was so convicted by the scripture that I did something about it? When have I mourned and wept because of my own sin?

We all complain because our church services last so long. We want to get home and get on with the day. I don’t understand people who get up and dress up just for a church service that lasts for only an hour; and if you add a traditional Sunday school to that, only another hour. We complain about the length of time that our pastor spends in preaching/teaching God’s Word. We don’t think about the last part of that sentence. It is GOD’S WORD!! It is the most powerful weapon that we can use against the Enemy! We have the opportunity to hear and be taught and learn the Word of God each and every Sunday and for what?? We leave the church building with apathetic hearts. We have heard, but we haven’t listened. The ‘eyes of our hearts’ have not been opened to what the Lord would want to have us hear that day.

If we haven’t heard from God, then how will we go out into the World to fight the battles we face daily? How will we know God’s will for our lives? How will we share the gospel with those we come into contact with on a daily basis? Are we even completely prepared to share the gospel from day to day? Do we have a sense of urgency to share the gospel with the lost people that we know? I have to admit that I have to answer in the negative regarding most of these questions. Because I am in ministry, I have been prepared to share the gospel from a “technical” point of view, but instead of being ready anytime, anywhere, I look for the most opportune times, such as at Good News Club or right after church. I don’t use those day to day encounters with people that I run into at the grocery, or cleaners, or bank, to share my faith. It has to be just the right setting so that I will be “comfortable” enough to share my faith.

It all goes back to “me.” Am I “comfortable” enough to share my faith? Regardless that there is a lost and dying world just outside my door, I have to be in the right place at the right time to feel like I need to share. I know that building relationships with people is important, too, but sometimes I wait too long to build those relationships because I am waiting for the right opportunity.

And then there is the fear of rejection. Most of my relatives are not very open when it comes to discussing spiritual things. They have always thought I have been off the “deep end” for many years, ever since college. Religion should just be a superficial thing we do on Sunday and then ignore it for the rest of the week. I have tried to explain to some of them that it is not a religion, but a relationship with a real person, the Living God. But they just don’t seem to understand. That grieves me. I want them to know the God that I know; the True and Living God who has provided for me day after day for more years than I can count. But I am afraid of being put down and rejected by them after I talk to them.

Lord, give me courage to speak about my faith, whenever and wherever, especially with my family. Give me a heart that weeps with conviction when I hear God’s Word read. Show me my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. In your Name, I pray. Amen!