Nehemiah 13:14 (KJV) Don't Let Your Life's Work Die with You

Nehemiah 13:14 (KJV)

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.

Nehemiah mentions that, for a time, he had been away from Jerusalem. Having built the wall, he must have returned to the king. But the burden for the city never left him, and permission was obtained for him to return.

When he returned, he was disturbed to see that the people had already begun drifting away from what he had established. He witnessed firsthand the tendency of the human heart to fall back into worldliness and compromise.

His response was a prayer: "Lord, don't let all the good that's been done be wiped out."

I, too, have witnessed this tendency of the human heart. Work that I believed was well established drifted—sometimes back into the world and, in other cases, toward compromise with worldliness. What I sincerely did for good no longer reflects what I believe glorifies God.

Now I've been around long enough to know that my ability to effect good deeds for the glory of God cannot remain in my hands forever. I must pass that work on to others. Like Nehemiah, I understand his prayer and make it my own:

"Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.”

Remember the work, Lord, and let some of it survive to another generation.

#FaithfulToTheEnd #Nehemiah13v14 #FinishWell #ServeTheLord #LeaveALegacy

Don't Let Your Life's Work Die with You: A prayer for legacy.

Has the work God has done through your life been passed on to someone else? Share your thoughts or tell us about someone who invested in your spiritual life in the comments. I'd love to hear your story.

For more Bible studies, biblical encouragement, and practical lessons from God's Word, visit marvinmckenzie.org and explore hundreds of free resources to help you grow in your walk with Christ.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
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https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

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The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Nehemiah 13:14 (KJV) Don't Let Your Life's Work Die with You

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxS5m67PHvcQbNDTjEYfKnC013XVqzUQ5u?si=XkDRQoNFFfTFohoJ

Mark 1:44 (KJV) Good Intentions May Actually Hinder God's Work

Mark 1:44 (KJV)

And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

The leper, having been healed by the Lord, was given a charge (v. 43), which is explained to us in verse 44.

• He was to say nothing to any man about it.
• He was to go his way and do as the Word of God commanded.
• He was to do it "for a testimony unto them."

The Bible doesn't tell us whether he went to the priest and offered those things Moses commanded. Instead, it tells us that he went out and began telling everyone that he had been healed and how the healing came about.

Most in my circles have some difficulty with this passage.

• We have trouble explaining why Jesus wouldn't want him to publish it abroad.
• We tend to commend the man for getting the news of Jesus out there.

But I notice that the Bible says, "insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places..." In other words, what the man did resulted in Jesus no longer being able to openly enter the city as He had before.

I am thankful that the good news still got out and that people still came to the Lord. But I want to suggest that there is much too much of this sort of Christianity in the world today. We see people benefiting from the Lord, and rather than carefully learning the Word of God and obeying it, they ignore the Bible and simply "preach Jesus." I believe what we are witnessing is an obvious decline in sound faith and practice. Good doctrine and faithful Christian testimony are both suffering.

The world knows it.

The boldness of the lost to expose the hypocrisy and double standards of modern believers has increased substantially, even in my own lifetime. Christians are just as likely to have broken marriages, to be dishonest on the job, to double-cross a friend, or to give worldly counsel. In a word, Christians are often no better than unbelievers by almost any standard the world uses to measure us.

But we have some really big churches out there, don't we?

I am thankful that our Lord's eternal plan does not depend on us. He allows us to have a part in it, but His purposes are not determined by our faithfulness—they are accomplished despite our failures.

I do not mean to imply that we should not speak openly and boldly of the Lord and what He has done in our lives. We should. But our testimony is not established by our words alone. It is established by our faithful obedience to His Word.

And our testimony is far more powerful when our lives support our words.

#ObedienceIsTheBestTestimony #FaithfulToHisWord #BiblicalChristianity #TestimonyThroughObedience #Mark1v44KJV

Good Intentions May Actually Hinder God's Work: Obedience Gives Witness Credibility

What do you think? Why do you think Jesus gave the healed leper this command? Do you believe our testimony is strengthened more by our words or by our faithful obedience? Share your thoughts in the comments—I would enjoy hearing from you.

If this Bible study encouraged or challenged you, please share it with a friend. For hundreds of verse-by-verse Bible studies, articles, and biblical resources, visit marvinmckenzie.org. I hope you'll join me there as we continue studying God's Word together.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Mark 1:44 (KJV) Good Intentions May Actually Hinder God's Work

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxecmYi3wbb6SBBoGxmc21UcRxMfnXSBPM?si=pxZGhZdjEeZEmvBd

Matthew 28:3-4 (KJV) Why Roman Soldiers Collapsed Before One Angel

Matthew 28:3-4 (KJV)

His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

The keepers were soldiers, probably witnesses of, if not participants in, the crucifixion of Christ. Military personnel and other keepers of the peace train in what is sometimes called "command presence." They learn how to appear confident, in control, and invested with authority. It is a countenance—an appearance—that communicates confidence and command.

In this case, the countenance of the angel, whom John Gill suggests may have been Gabriel, struck such fear into the keepers that the men who were accustomed to being the command presence suddenly found themselves in the presence of a far greater authority. They became as dead men. Gill further suggests they were guilt-stricken, "for fear he was come as an executioner of divine vengeance upon them; who had been concerned in the crucifixion of Christ." They were so overwhelmed that the angel simply turned his attention from them and carried on a conversation with the women.

Now notice that the women had an entirely different reaction to the angel. There was some fear, but it was quickly met with reassurance and comfort. The keepers knew they were standing before a presence they could never match. The women saw in the angel an authority acting on their behalf.

A terrible and powerful force is no longer terrifying when you know it stands for you.

I cannot help but think of the coming day of judgment. Those who have rejected Christ will surely be stricken as dead men in the awful presence of the Lord. But those who have come to know Him as Saviour, though still awestruck, will find immense comfort and assurance in knowing that One so powerful stands on their side.

#ResurrectionPower #TheEmptyTomb #ChristOurAdvocate #Matthew28v3-4 #KJVBibleStudy

Why the Roman Soldiers Collapsed Before One Angel: The Difference Was Christ.

How would you react in the presence of God's perfect holiness—like the frightened guards or the comforted women? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

For more Christ-centered Bible studies, daily devotionals, and biblical resources, visit marvinmckenzie.org. I'd be honored to have you join me there.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Matthew 28:3-4 (KJV) Why Roman Soldiers Collapsed Before One Angel

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/Ugkx6MK16rDLm7UKOodQWhbO8p34dkr-3VLO?si=v1HkGO77D-FVzgLd

Matthew 27:1 (KJV) Joy Comes in the Morning

Matthew 27:1 (KJV)

When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

Psalms 30:5 (KJV)
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

John 21:3-5 (KJV)
Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

I'm thinking just now of a song by Bill and Gloria Gaither called "Joy Comes in the Morning."

I believe it would be good right now to read the words to that song.

If you've knelt beside the rubble of an aching broken heart

When the things you gave your life to fell apart

You're not the first to be acquainted with sorrow, grief, or pain

But the Master promised sunshine after rain

Hold on, my child (hold on, my child)

Joy comes in the morning

Weeping only last for the night

Hold on, my child (hold on, my child)

Joy comes in the morning

The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight

To invest your seed of trust in God in mountains you can't move

You have risked your life on things you cannot prove

But to give the things you cannot keep for what you cannot lose

Now, that's the way to find the joy God has for you

So, hold on, my child (hold on, my child)

Joy comes in the morning

Weeping only last for the night

Hold on, my child (hold on, my child)

Joy comes in the morning

The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight

The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight

It's just in sight

The song is based on Psalms 30:5, and it is illustrated by the apostles, who had fished all night and caught nothing. But when the morning came, Jesus was there. I am sure the most powerful illustration, though, is when the women came to the tomb of Christ very early, before daylight. 

As the light began to break, they found the empty tomb and soon afterward the risen Saviour.

The point I want to make in this Daily Visit with God is that these mornings are made possible by that morning when the chief priests and elders took counsel to kill Jesus.

The most glorious mornings we've ever experienced, and the hope of that blessed morning when we will see Jesus face to face, are all the result of that morning when, in the infinite counsel and foreknowledge of God, He determined to allow the hands of sinful men to send His Son to the cross on account of our sins.

The brightest moment a human being may ever experience was made possible by the darkest moment the Son of God ever knew.

#JoyComesInTheMorning #TheEmptyTomb #ChristOurHope #DailyVisitWithGod #MorningOfVictory

Joy Comes in the Morning—But Why?

Has God ever brought joy after one of your darkest nights? Share your testimony in the comments—I’d love to hear how the Lord has worked in your life. 

For more daily Bible encouragement and verse-by-verse studies, visit marvinmckenzie.org.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Matthew 27:1 (KJV) Joy Comes in the Morning

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/Ugkxo1a4J_IZMsgSp44rKBpF-351FLSHIurB?si=EIqmGZt1_rE77Klc