Reading throught the bible...finishing Nehamiah. Most eye opening yet.

Last week at our church, there was a tag team sermon on glory moments.  The Red Sox winning the world series of course was my favorite.  There were several, including Tiger Woods.  Glory moments are usually short lived and the respect that they gain at the moment can quickly fade away and in some cases, it can be reversed.   Perhaps the best part of this entire book came when I read chapter 9.  Here you will find the words lifted up to God when the Israelites confessed their sins.  When we pray, we are supposed to glorify God.  Think of all of the glory moments we see here on earth and how much attention they get.  Think about how long you celebrate your team's victory or your promotion or raise at work.  I do not spend a tenth that long glorifying the REASON I have those moments to celebrate.  Therefore, when I read this entire section glorifying God and all he did for the Israelites and their recognition of him standing by them even when they cast him off for worshiping false idols, wanting a king even when he warned against it, and how he turned their enemies over to them, yet they still chose to ignore him, I was forced to whole-heartedly evaluate my glorification.  I fail everyday.  I have failed over and over and he still stands there waiting for me to come back.  In the grand scheme, this is minor, yet he does it as if he has nothing better to do anyway.  Doesn't he deserve more than that from me?  He certainly did from them, yet the things that the Israelites did, going back to Moses, seem horrible and stupid, yet so similar to myself.  Its not the fact that they did horrible things.  We all do.  Its the fact that it is all equal in his eyes and he will still be standing there waiting when you return.

I am going to read this passage way more often.  The remaining parts of this book talk about the the agreement the people made.  I am agreeing to glorify the one who deserves it and the one that will hold the glory forever.  It will not fade.  It will not be replaced by another's glory.  The Israelites are just me.  They are my life.  Just in a bigger painting.