Thurs., 1/16/14 Devotion (Neh. 6:15-16)

Today's encouragement comes from Nehemiah 6:15 & 16, which says this:

"So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God."

God's enemies: hypocrites, unbelievers, and nominalists of every sort get very sad when they see the work of God in His church progressing in the world. And the reason for this, ironically, is because they see that the "work was done by . . . God." Their hope is that God does not exist; or that, if He does, He is not doing anything in the world.

Let us be thankful that the "wall" of Christ's salvation has been com-pleted, around the church. It was not man's work--it was God's work. And, instead of being "disheartened" in this world, as the godless must be--let all faithful believers in Jesus be thankful and joyful.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Sin is an absurd thing. What greater indis-cretion is there than to gratify an enemy? Sin gratifies Satan." --Thom-as Watson, in, "The Doctrine of Repentance"]