Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.

Nehemiah 13:14

When Nehemiah heard about the broken promises of the people, he immediately initiated reforms. His faithful response as the leader of the people was to set things in order. He began by throwing Tobiah’s household goods out of the rooms, purifying the rooms and restoring the equipment of the house of God. (13:8-9) He restored the tithes and appointed Shelemiah, the priest, and Zadok, the scribe, to be in charge of the storerooms. He closed the doors to Jerusalem so that no “loads” (labor) could be brought in on the Sabbath day. Lastly, he rebuked those who disobeyed the Lord by intermarrying. He purified the priests and Levites of everything foreign.

(v.30) As faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be obedient to God’s commands.

As believers, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19) called to be pure and holy. The Lord calls His people to a higher standard than that of the world. We have His Word to guide us, convict us of sin, and lead us into truth. The church today in many ways is beginning to resemble the world. As believers, are you willing to raise the standard by following God’s Word? When you fail, are you willing to faithfully respond by repenting and turning back to the Lord? The Lord is looking for a remnant who will faithfully seek to follow His ways.

What ways need to be “reformed” in your life? God is calling you to a higher standard and seeks to have your whole heart. He stands ready to clean out His temple where He resides in you; He seeks to purify and to restore His dwelling place. Today, as you surrender to His will, He will remove the rubble and make way for His Presence.

Heavenly Father, I surrender my heart, my mind and my will to You. I pray that You will cleanse the thoughts of my heart and remove all the debris in the way that separates my life from You. In Jesus’ name, Amen