UBC Wed For Life

                            Despite having a whole book in the Bible dedicated to him, Nehemiah isn’t one of the more well known figures in the Bible. His accomplishments may not have had the same theatrical flare as others like Noah or Moses, but he served God faithfully nonetheless. That alone makes him worth discussing. Similar to Joseph, Nehemiah found himself serving a powerful empire. Specifically, he served the Persian Empire under the king, Artaxerxes. Being Artaxerxes’ cupbearer, Nehemiah could have just lived a good life, but he felt a sense of duty towards God’s people. They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. - Nehemiah 1:3-4 Nehemiah didn’t just use his position with Artaxerxes for his own benefit. Ne

                                                            The previous blog entry addressed how the Bible can sometimes be used to lead people astray from what God really wants for His people. It may be worth considering an example of how that’s done. The twisting of God’s Word isn’t always as obvious as one might think. Sometimes it just takes a slight tweak. Other times the problem isn’t as much what’s added or changed and more so what’s left out. Consider this verse: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” - Mark 10:25 In today’s political climate where socio-economic matters are of constant concern, this verse tends to pop up quite frequently. At times, it has been used by some to attack the rich or the concept of being rich. When read by itself, it does seem like Jesus is saying that it is impossible for rich people to go to Heaven. Those that disagree with this interpretation sometimes go to