Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
—Nehemiah 9:1-5
by: Angie Osborn.
"Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting" (v. 5, NIV). What an invitation! In this passage, the general theme seems to be to "stand up and be set apart." As the Israelites gathered together, they set themselves apart from foreigners. Why? Because they wanted to stand before God as a unified group-foreigners wouldn't have been unified in their beliefs.
Some of us, at work or at school, are not surrounded by people committed to the Lord. Even in these situations, God is with us and works in and through us. Just as there was a time for the Israelites to separate themselves, there are times when we should, too. We need to meet with other Christians for worship, confession and teaching. After we are built up, we can stand firm and share the gospel of Christ with those who don't know him!