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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 2 of 5
Nehemiah 9:16-27
After having, like these Levites, retraced at length the history of the grace of God toward Israel, Stephen in Acts 7 continues his speech in the same way: "Ye stiff-necked . . . ye do always resist the Holy Ghost" (v. 51). The stiff neck, the neck which refuses to bend to accept the yoke of the Lord, is not a special characteristic of the people of Israel. Nor of the unconverted! We all have within us this self-willed, unsubmissive nature. Every Christian, without exception, is only too well aware of this. And it is impossible for him, or her, to overcome it by his, or her, own efforts. But does each one know at the same time the deliverance which God grants to His children? Having, at the cross, put to death this rebellious, unyielding will, He has given us in exchange the obedient nature of the Lord Jesus. The old nature is still with us with its desires, but it no longer has the right to control us.
All these sins of Israel stand out so much more, when they are, as in this incident, contrasted with the grace of God. Ingratitude is added to them, so to speak (see Deuteronomy 32:5-6). Is it not also true of so many young men and women brought up by believing parents?
