Sept. 28, 2023
Here are my reflections and comments from today’s scripture from Our Daily Inspirations App.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, before I read or comment on God’s word, I pray that He prepares my heart to receive his guidance and ask that He uses me as his vessel to comment on His word.
The scripture is from Nehemiah 6:3 “I sent messengers to them, saying ‘I am doing a great work, so that I can’t come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?”
The devotion is titled Ignore the Hecklers! by John Michalak and Joyverse. To sum up this devotion, The authors start this devotion using the analogy of hecklers and naysayers. Throughout history there have been hecklers that have disrupt plays, and some even made a living by being paid to stop. ‘While rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah had hecklers to deal with. They were people who didn’t know the Jews and didn’t care for what they were doing. They wanted to criticize and oppose them. There is nothing wrong with criticism when it comes from people who really care about what you are doing. The authors encourage us todo rather if it is God’s work or anything else important to you and ignore the hecklers.
Reflections, Questions, and Challenges for Us: What are some ways we can focus only on God and those who have our best interest at heart, and ignore the opinions of critics who don’t really matter?
Here is my response, yours may be different: By focusing on God and his love for me and others, I can easily focus on God and those who have my best interest at heart.
My Personal Prayer for us: Dear Lord, help us to discern which criticism we should listen to and which we should ignore. When we are doing Your work, please help us to focus solely on You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Inspirations (2023/28/09) retrieved from Website: Daily Bible.com Ignore the Hecklers! by John Michalak and Joyverse