"'If I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts. "
Malachi 1:6
GOD'S BUY-BACK PROGRAM
Read It: Nehemiah 5:6-8
Do you ever get mad when you see people being exploited? Nehemiah got mad when he heard about the problems the people of Jerusalem were having. Did he get mad that some people were making money in their businesses? There is no commandment in the Bible that says, "Thou shalt not make a legitimate profit." It's okay to make a profit, but you cannot not do it by exploitation or greed. Verse 7 says Nehemiah was so angry that he had to get off in a corner to cool down and to think about how he was going to handle this mess. He wasn't ready to talk to anyone yet. Once he had a talk with himself and I'm sure some prayer time too, Nehemiah was ready to contend with the nobles and the rulers. He called the whole congregation together to get the problem straightened out. You say, "How can you call a congregational meeting about the way a man does his business?" Because when you name the name of Jesus Christ, you don't just do business. You are supposed to do business to the glory of God, so if you are exploiting people, it's a sin.
If you are a Christian, you are called to excellence in everything you do. God expects it. He never wants leftovers. That was the problem in Malachi's day. God looked at the flawed sacrifices the people were bringing ing and said, "Would you offer that to your ruler? He doesn't want it, and neither do I." So Nehemiah called a congregational meeting and instituted a buy-back back program to get back Jews who had been sold into slavery because of the hard economic conditions. See, whenever you lose something you ought to have, you have to have a redemption program. We need a buy-back program today. We have a generation of children who need to be bought back from the worldly influences we have sold them to. Some wives and husbands need buy-back programs in their homes. What have you lost that needs to be bought back, redeemed? Think About It God instituted a buy-back program for you. He lost you in the Garden of Eden, and He bought you back at Calvary. That's why He calls you to act like a redeemed person.
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