"Thus we will not neglect the house of our God" is the covenant promise made to God in Nehemiah 10. The children of Israel, who had miraculously been brought back from 70 years of slavery in Babylon, saw God help them rebuild the Temple and complete the wall of protection. Now in thanksgiving and worship they were confessing their sin, dedicating their lives to obey the Word, and committing their resources to support the servants of God.
It follows, that the Holy Spirit translates this passage to New Testament believers to not neglect maintaining the welfare of the inner man since we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In response for all the Lord has done, Psalm 103 reminds us to bless the Lord with everything that is in us, not forgeting all His benefits.
The words of Jesus, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, give direction and instruction for how to be faithful to the presence of God and all He has done for us. When we get busy and involved in worldly concerns, it is easy to be like those who rejected the (Matthew 22) king's invitation to attend the wedding feast. Because, there is always an excuse. I have purchased five oxen and have to try them out, I have married a wife and cannot come, etc. We do not neglect the house of God, our temple where God lives in us, by putting His commands and His service first, not just when convenient.
Most of us would find it difficult to wait quietly before God for ten minutes after reading the Word, yet we have no difficulty wasting many times that amount on our cell phones, social media, youtube, or even TV. It is also easy to plan and do whatever it takes to get the worldly things we desire (which will pass away), and only as an after-thought, how can I please God with my resources. It takes a change of mind to realize that it is God's time and money, and that we are stewards, or caretakers of what He has given.
One of the things that I spoke to the young people at school on Friday was instruction about how they use the Internet. Some of my young men are challenged to stay pure in what they watch on Instagram, Tik-Tok, Youtube and other sites. There is a true incident that happened to a friend of mine who found the Lord in college, but was still tempted with immorality. One day, as he was sitting at the bar in a strip club, he heard the Lord say to him, "Jim, just want you to know that I am with you here." So the challenge given to these high school boys was to realize that Jesus was right with them as they go online, and to only participate in sites He would be pleased to have you watch.
The same principle works for us, for what we let ourselves think about, for what attitudes we hold on to, and for what we cherish as important to our well-being. No wonder Paul, in 2 Corinthians 10, defines the spiritual battle and stats that we need to use our God-given weapons of divine power to be "destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." If we could see Jesus physically sitting with us, what would we find acceptable to think or do? The point is do not neglect the house of God.
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