Inspecting Walls

Let's imagine something for a minute. Let's imagine that you and I were suddenly captured by a huge army and led as captives to a foreign land. We are held as captives in this land that we don't know, and we've never been to. Then one day we ask to go back to our homeland to inspect Washington D.C. to see how much work needs to be done to fix the destroyed capital. Our captors grant us permission and we begin the long journey back to Washington to see how to fix our capital city.

Politics aside (that's for those of you who think Washington being destroyed wouldn't be that bad), this would be a huge task. But this is exactly what Nehemiah had to go through. Nehemiah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians and led away from his native country of Judah to Babylon. However, while in Babylon God impressed on Nehemiah's heart that he should go to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall that was destroyed when the Babylonians invaded. Nehemiah, the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, found favor with the king and was granted permission to go and inspect the walls of Jerusalem. After a three day journey to Jerusalem, Nehemiah took the next night to inspect the walls of the city and see what needed to be done.

At first glance, this story doesn't seem too applicable to our lives. We don't face the threat of being invaded by a foreign country and sent off to their land. Or do we? You see, as believers we have a "wall" of God's protection around our hearts. This wall keeps our enemies out, in this case evil and sin. This wall provides protection and safety from trials and temptations. However, this wall around our heart needs to be inspected. Unlike most walls, this wall cannot be destroyed from the outside. Remember, God is protecting us, and nothing will change that. However, this wall can be destroyed from the inside. When we fall into temptations, we are slowly but surely breaking down that wall from the inside out. Over time, we eventually will break through this wall, and allow open access to whatever lurks outside in the darkness. This is why Nehemiah's story is so crucial. Nehemiah had to inspect the walls of Jerusalem for holes, cracks, and damage that would allow an enemy to attack. In the same way we need to constantly be inspecting the walls of our own hearts to make sure that we haven't damaged them. By constantly praying, reading our Bibles, seeking the fellowship of others, being around godly mentors, we can be inspecting the walls of our hearts.

Inspecting and keeping watch over the walls of our hearts is not easy. As we see in Nehemiah 4, there will be opposition to our work. Friends can make fun of you for not going to a certain party. Coworkers will think you are "too good for them" if you do not gossip as they do. Your boyfriend or girlfriend could push you to take your relationship farther than you know is right and make you feel guilty for not giving up your morals when you say no. Inspecting and guarding the wall around our heart will lead to persecution. But by keeping our walls well inspected and guarded, we will know when we are being tempted, and with Jesus' help, we will be able to withstand the attack. So just as Nehemiah faithfully executed the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, let us faithfully execute the task of inspecting and rebuilding the wall around our heart.

Practice Makes Perfect

"Practice makes perfect." Heard by millions through the years, this phrase rings true in many areas of life. Whether an instrument, sport, job, or relationship, the more practice the better the results will be. I have experienced this in many areas of my life, especially in my job and instrument playing. I love playing the piano. However, it took time. I didn't wake up and suddenly become a good pianist. I had to practice. Every day I practice different chord patterns, key strokes, and songs; and all this allows me more ease and experience the next time I play those sounds. By practicing every day, I build up confidence in myself and in my ability. I also needed to practice at my job. I work at a golf course, and while it is not the most tedious job in the world, I had to practice to get better. By doing such things as picking the driving range or cleaning carts, I now know the most effective way to complete those tasks well, and this allows me to save time. I can do this because I practiced. Practice takes diligence and patience, but if one is willing to stick with what he is practicing, he will be almost perfect with his outcome.

Time of Change

Life is busy. Of course, I don't need to tell you that because you already know. A busy life has a tendency to push certain things to the forefront of our attention and other things to the back burners. Some things become more of a priority than other things. For me, blogging went on the back burners. It's not that I didn't want to blog (I have had so many ideas and inspirations), it's that I've simply not had the time. As evidence by my last post (June for those who don't go look), it's been a while. But I have decided to make a determined effort to start blogging again. I can't promise I'll be successful, but I can say I will try.

The name "Inseparable" stems from Romans 8:38-39. This has always been one of my favorite verses because it shows how powerful God is, and yet how loving and merciful he is. As Christians, nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, can separate from the love of God. Wow. That shows the awesomeness of our God. That He is that powerful and loving all in one. When we are born again, we are His and His alone. I find that absolutely incredible.

Over the past year my life has become enveloped in "busy." I am now a senior in high school, and have to deal with colleges, ACT, and academics. I also got a job, which takes up a good bit of time. I've had ups and downs, good moments and bad, but through it all God has remained the same. This verse has stuck with me increasingly this past year because no matter how busy I get, God is still there and still loves me. That is why I've renamed the blog. Not only because of the truth that is obviously stated in these verses, but also because of the comfort and joy it brings me.

I have also been "re-inspired" into blogging by my youth pastor (check out his blog http://derekgriz.com/). I'm not big into following bloggers, but he is one man that I definitely look up to for advice in the non-blog sphere. However, his blog has inspired me quite a bit, to the point of making a rededicated effort to blog more.

It's time for a change in my life. It's time for me to slow down from the business of life. It's time for me to try this again. With that said, I invite you to join me on this adventure and see what God has for all of us.