Reading your Bible for Today December 20

December 20: Nehemiah 9:16-17

KJV Key Verse: Nehemiah 9:17
17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

Devotion:
There are always times in our lives when we get it into our heads we are the ones who are right and we will not budge from that position no matter what! Not only do we do this through things we do but also with our beliefs. We may hear something from someone else and think about it for a while, it may not be a long while! And then we form an opinion which we stick with, not because it is the truth, but because it fits in with other things we are doing!

We like to be able to fit in with those around us and so we change our lives so we can be more compatible! We like to be acceptable to others by doing the same things as they do... We do not often think exactly what we are getting ourselves into. Instead, we bend our rules to fit in with our surroundings.

Before too long we can look back at those stages in our lives and see where we have drifted away. We can look back and see the mistakes we have made. We can look back and see how easy it was to walk away. But the best part about this all is that we can always look forward to our God who is ready and willing to listen to our apologies!

Throughout history we see how people have made mistakes, from the small to the whoppers! We can even see those reflected in our own lives. And every time that this happens, we can see a God who is willing to listen and ready to take back the sinners! A God who is always ready, not just ready after we think we are finished, but always ready. Not just ready, but willing...

Points to Ponder:
Are your friends always there... even when they are not?

Are you ready to apologise to God?