DAILY MANNA
MONDAY JANUARY 04, 2021
TOPIC: SAVING TOMORROW FROM HEARTACHES
TEXT: NEHEMIAH 1:1-3
KEY VERSE: "And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire" (NEHEMIAH 1:3).
The atomic blasts in two Japanese cities during the closing stages of World War II had a long reach into the future. At the time of the explosions, there was unprecedented damage, both in terms of loss of lives and with respect to the habitat and property. But there have also been long-term effects. Scientists claim that decades after the bombings, the children exposed to radiation in their mother's womb were more likely to have intellectual disabilities and increased risk of developing cancer.
The lesson here is that the consequences of man's errors and misdeeds are not limited to the time they were committed. Nehemiah experienced these unpleasant effects of mistakes of earlier generations on the future. Scores of years after sinful Judah had been razed by Babylonian invaders and the wall of Jerusalem broken with the inhabitants taken into a long captivity, some Jews visited Nehemiah in Shushan to inform him of the desolation of the Jewish capital. The news of the misery of his people touched him.
Now, this was not a case of 'generational curse'. The effects of punishment for communal sin of the past were taking a toll on the future. The takeaway here is that sin does have destructive ripples that sometimes find their way far into another era. We can save tomorrow from heartaches if we are watchful against sin in our time.
The text also teaches that leaders and believers should be sensitive to the plight of the church and society. Not consumed with the palatial luxury of Shushan, Nehemiah sought to know the state of his people. He could have chosen to be indifferent. True leaders and disciples of Christ make sacrifices for the flock and service to God. Genuinely concerned brethren who notice shortcomings in God's vineyard must also promptly report them to the church leadership as Hanani did.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Shun sin today to save tomorrow from heartaches.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
GENESIS 11-13
HIGHER EVERYDAY
MONDAY JANUARY 4, 2021
WONDERS OF GOD'S CREATION - 4
BIBLE TEXT: GENESIS 1:14-19
MEMORY VERSE: "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also" (GENESIS 1:16)
Jehovah God is awesome! Today is day four and our Bible text tells us how and why God made lights-the greater light (Sun), to rule the day and the lesser light (Moon), to rule the night. Astronomers say that the Sun is the big star at the centre of our solar system around which the earth and the other eight planets orbit go around. There are about 400 billion other stars in the Milky Way Galaxy where the earth belongs. The Sun has no solid part, just gas: hydrogen and helium and very hot, up to 5500 degree Celsius. The moon, is the closest to earth of all the bodies in our solar system and has no light of its own; the sun gives it light which it reflects on earth. Scientists cannot credibly explain how the sun and the moon were formed, but the Bible tells us, God did. God made the Sun and the Moon for light, temperature, seasons, signs, weather and times. Resolve also to work hard - using the day for labour and the night for sleep.
QUOTE: God made the sun and the moon.
CHALLENGE: God is a God of distinction: He separated day from night.
PRAYER: Almighty God, let your Son give me light to reflect always.