My life's reflection through the book of Nehemiah: L-O-V-E

 

 

 

 

You might think:  "What has Nehemiah got to do with love?"

 

Well, let's see what Nehemiah did in context and break it open:

Nehemiah was Cupbearer to the King of Persia - this was a really posh job and cushy job I might add.  It was basically having everything your heart desired and living in a palace.  So Nehemiah heard that "The exile survivors who are left there in the province are in bad shape. Conditions are appalling. The wall of Jerusalem is still rubble; the city gates are still cinders.” (Neh 1:3 MSG), and he wept and mourned for days, fasting and praying.  He begged God to forgive them for "treating Him like dirt" (Neh 1:7 MSG).  He then went to the King and begged of him to allow him to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the city walls.


Well even though we can go into the prayer he prayed OR the good success he had with the king (read it in Nehemiah 1&2), it reminds me of Someone Who gave up a cushy life to rebuild the city walls.....

J-E-S-U-S

Just for the sake of this blog, I want you to consider the conversation that might have happened between God and Jesus in Heaven.  Jesus saw the state His 'cities' were in.  He realised no one had the heart OR the power OR the will to do it.  He probably sat at God's right hand and said:

Jesus:  Father, allow me to do what the whole of human race could not accomplish through-out the ages since we've created them and they fell into sin.

God:  Do what?
Jesus:  Become the ultimate sin offering?

God:  Would you do it for them - a hateful, troublesome race who hate each other and does everything out of self-will and self-want?

Jesus:  Yes.  The plan we had in mind when we created them in Our Image were to have a relationship with each one of them and be loved in return by them.  But because of sin, the relationship were destroyed.  I would love to see us have the relationship with each as we had with Adam and Eve in the garden.  But the laws we gave our people are just too heavy to maintain and it definitely does not produce a relationship.  What if I could do what the high priests did once a year - once for all. Imagine if each one chose to love us back.  I want to do it because I love them too much to see them all go to hell.  And for them not to loose heart in the process....."
   
       And so He chose willingly to leave it all behind to come save a fallen, lost world. 

Why would He do that?

L-O-V-E

His heart is love.  He is love.  His whole being is enveloped in love.  He doesn't think like us and only see in part.  But He saw the whole picture.  He saw you and me in our fallen state and decided to meet God's demands in order that we be justified through faith (Rom 5:1; Gal 2:16).

Now that makes me think...... How about you?

Can you imagine how much love must've been the driving force behind such an act? 

IMMEASURABLE!! 
UNIMAGINABLE!! 
UNFATHOMABLE!! 
UNEXPLAINABLE!!

Even before we started breathing a breath, He loved us so much to die and receive the ultimate penalty (1 Cor 1:30 AMPC) we were supposed to receive in order that we'd be called God's children (1 John 3).  In order to take back the keys of death (Heb 2:14; Rev 1:18) and transfer us back into His Kingdom (Col 1:13).  Even though he knew what was facing him, He still chose to be obedient unto death so that we might live (Phil 2:8).....

What LOVE!!!!!!