Friday, November 26, 2021

Friday, November 26, 2021 

You gave your good spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and gave them water for their thirst. (Nehemiah 9:20)

As you review your mailing list for Christmas/holiday cards, you probably won’t come across the name of your friend from high school who had a bitter falling out with you. You also likely won’t be out shopping for the kid who hits your child at recess. And it’s a virtual certainty that your miserable neighbor, who always scowls in your direction and parks in your spot, doesn’t have a reserved seat at the big dinner you’re hosting this season.

Today’s verse, Nehemiah 9:20, without any context, seems as though a loving God is providing for his people, as one would expect.  However, when you read the rest of the chapter, as it describes the depths of rebellion and blasphemy these ancestors had reached, verse 20 becomes even more striking. By any metric of worthiness, these people deserved to be forgotten and abandoned. Not only did God demonstrate his mercy in not deserting them, but He shows an abundance of grace throughout the verses that follow.

It’s easy to read a passage like this and critique the shortcomings and sins of others, much like we may also do with those in our lives. But do we honestly judge ourselves by those same standards? How often do we think about the ways that we fall short of God’s glory? Reflections like this may be more likely during Easter season, but easy to lose sight of in the hustle and bustle of Advent.

Take a moment today to reflect on how God has shown you grace and mercy in your life, and also how you can extend those same blessings to others.

Lord, thank you for the grace and mercy you have demonstrated to all of your people throughout history, and especially to me in my life.  Please help me to share that love and forgiveness with others this Advent season.  Amen.

Brandon Frank is the Manager of Financial Reporting for Liberty Lutheran.