Money and the opportunity for money can do strange things to people.   It can turn the seemingly most gentle soul into a blood thirsty shark faster than you can say “last day at the garage sale.”   Humans just seem to have a hang up with stuff. It is often used to evaluate importance or success, when in actuality it is just another example of correlation not being causation. And the opportunity seems to be just as infectious as actually having money. How many get rich quick, pyramid (or the much more effective “funnel” – a pyramid turned upside down) schemes, continue to attract followers by the millions   If it was that easy, don’t they think everyone would do it? (by the by, send me a million dollars and I will tell you how to become a millionaire) And if having it and pursuing it is not enough in itself, there is what people are willing to do to other people to get it.

Nehemiah was not just restoring a wall and putting up some gates. He was not just organizing people and resources to achieve a goal. He also found that he had a bigger problem. He had to restore their ethics.

Somewhere along the line, the people had begun to take advantage of each other. The poor had come upon hard times with a poor growing season. Rather than lending a helping hand those with means saw this as an opportunity for profit. Rather than build loyalty and unity, they used it grab lands, and daughters. After all they had been through, then they do this? Nehemiah was justly angry.

 How about us? How about our people, the people of our community? Is worth measured by wealth? Is personal chaos in someone’s life just an opportunity for profit? Are we focused on our wealth, instead of being focused on God? Are we building bigger barns, or giving it away? How should the church look different as we passionately pursue our people and our walls? Come be challenged to consider your ethics as we explore Nehemiah 5.

 See you at church.

Pastor Chris