So I confronted the nobles of Judah.
"Why are you profaning the Sabbath in this evil way?" I asked. "Wasn't it just this sort of thing that your ancestors did that caused our God to bring all this trouble upon us and our city? Now you are bringing even more wrath upon Israel by permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way!"
Nehemiah 13:17-18 NLT
They'd forgotten that God had put these rules in place so that they would flourish.
The sabbath was about rest, regaining shalom, peace in the life of the individual and the community, living out their belief in God.
And it had become just like any other day to do business.
They'd allowed the culture and practices of the world around them to weaken their devotion to God.
I wonder how I do that?
Allowed the measures of success of the world become more important than God's?
Who really has first place?
#shalom
#peace
#loveGod
...four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus... Mark 2:3-4 NLT Great account of inventiveness and determination to get their friend to see Jesus. Love this. Do you wonder about the back story? Are these the same 4 people who bring this man food? Take him to the toilet every day. Clean him up. Does he live with one of them? Are they family? Are there whole families or groups of people in the background who have supported and cared for this man? A group of children who grew up seeing their parents love in action? Probably. Healing Help Hope These things are found in community. These 4 guys are the heroes here. The upfront people. One day it will be interesting to see who the background heroes are. #loveinaction #community #inthistogether #walkingeachotherhome #gospelofmark
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