Remember me favorably, my God, for all that I have done for this people. —Nehemiah 5:19
Nehemiah’s love for holiness was seen in his commitment to personal integrity—even in the little things (Neh. 5:18). And it’s seen in his boldness in dealing with the sins of others.
Nehemiah had seen God’s people pay a terrible price for their sins. They had been exiled amid nations that did not worship Jehovah, first in Babylon and then in Persia. Nehemiah also had seen that through repentance and obedience, once they were allowed to return to Jerusalem, the people of God had been richly blessed and had experienced great joy. He could not bear to see them lose those blessings by returning to the very sins that had caused them to end up in captivity.
His heart for holiness put him in a tiny minority, even among his fellow leaders. He didn’t seem to notice or care. He wasn’t trying to win a popularity contest. All that mattered to him was that the holy name of God had been profaned, and he longed for it to be hallowed once again.
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Holiness: The Heart God Purifies
©2004, 2005 Revived Hearts Foundation
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
How passionate are you for God’s name to be considered holy? How can you commit to having integrity, even in the little things?