Nehemiah and changing our lives

George P. Wood is doing a series on changing our lives, drawing from the text of Nehemiah. In a recent post, George looks at the scandal of Eliashib's renting a room in the Temple to an Ammonite:

And that brings us to the a key principle of change: Don’t compromise your faith! Changing your life is hard enough as it is. But your faith in God will carry you through difficult times, as long as you don’t rent a room to the enemies of change in the temple of your spirit.

It’s a constant temptation to do so, however. No doubt Eliashib thought he was doing the right thing. It’s easier to accommodate people some times than to hold yourself accountable to the Law. It’s easier to make allowances for little sins than to take a hard stance for holiness. But easier is neither right nor better. Once you’ve begun to change—whether becoming a Christian, or getting sober, or staying faithful to your spouse—it’s best to draw a line in the sand and not cross over it again. The firmer your resolution in the beginning, the quicker you’ll see positive changes take up permanent residence in your life.

Amen. I look forward to the whole series.