CONSIDERING THE CONSEQUENCES

—-Should such a man as I flee?—- Nehemiah 6:11 Notice carefully the phrase “such a man as I”. Now ask yourself this question–If this had reference to me what kind of person would it refer to? We know what kind of man Nehemiah was. He was compassionate, courageous, and committed. He was the kind of man that we need more of today! But what about you?   Now, this also tells us something important. Even a great man like Nehemiah is not exempt from trials and temptation. The context tells us that the enemy was trying to frighten him into a compromise so as to stop the work he was doing. Fortunately Nehemiah stood his ground and the work was completed. It was completed because Nehemiah considered the consequences and refused to compromise. We need to remember that. Someone said,”Every effect has a cause and every cause produces an effect.” The late Selwyn Hughes said it well with these words:   “Many of our difficulties in life arise from the fact that we forget the principle that consequences follow our actions. The devil often inveigles ( entices us with flattery) us into thinking that the situation we are in is an isolated event, and he gets us to believe that what we do, or are about to do or say, will have little or no effect upon others. He is exceedingly skilful at getting us to become preoccupied with the thing he puts before us. This one thing on which we focus then takes up our whole attention and we become oblivious of everything else, including the results that may follow our actions.—– A false “friend” came to him and told him that he should not risk his life. The proposition undoubtedly appealed to him, but Nehemiah considered the consequences and stayed where he was. If he hadn’t, the whole course of Israel’s history would have been changed. Believe me, this one principle alone – of carefully considering consequences – would be the means of saving us from endless difficulties if we were to take it and consistently apply it.”