Day 48: Nehemiah demonstrates character

Today’s Big Idea: Character Counts

Key Verse: Nehemiah 5:18

Passage of the day: Nehemiah 5

Thoughts to consider: Today’s reading shows us why God chose Nehemiah. While the people were rebuilding the wall and trying to defend themselves from attackers, there were others who began to take advantage of the workers. Many Israelites gave up their regular jobs to work on the wall, and they were mortgaging their land to borrow money to pay their bills. A group of fellow countrymen was charging high interest and foreclosing on others, even enslaving their children when they couldn’t pay on time. 

When Nehemiah heard about this, he was enraged. He demanded that their families, land, and properties be returned and for the money lenders to stop charging interest on loans. All agreed and the work continued. In our key verse today, Nehemiah made sure to let everyone know that he never behaved that way. In fact, he gave up his rights as the king’s representative to eat extravagant food and comfort that were rightfully his. He maintained his character and kept the mission the priority. 

There will be times during this process when it will be tempting to take advantage of others who are working alongside you in your ministry. But we must remember this: People are not the raw material to make ministry happen or complete a project. People are the point of it all. People loving and serving Jesus and loving and serving each other is what it is all about. No wall, no church ministry, and no project are more important than that.