Episode Summary: One of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith is that fruitfulness comes not from strength but from brokenness. Jesus said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains by itself alone. But if it dies it bears much fruit.” Peter was the arrogant leader of the disciples who boasted “Lord even if all the other disciples forsake you, I never will.”  Before the next morning, he denied knowing Jesus three times and when the cock crowed, he went out and wept bitterly, a broken man. Never again in Scripture do we see that arrogance in Peter. Instead, he passes on to others a lesson that he learned through his brokenness “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Can you imagine God pulling out his big guns AGAINST YOU? The fastest way to see that happen is pride. And one of pride’s most subtle manifestations is taking our sins lightly rather than weeping over them. Today’s episode from Nehemiah is a great picture of a nation, broken by its sin.  

For Further Prayerful Thought:

1. What stood out to you most as the priests recounted the cycle of Israel’s history—God’s goodness and mercy, Israel’s rebellion against him, the punishment for their sins (covenant sanctions)?
2. Why do you think James is so insistent that to draw near to God we must feel broken over our own sin?
3. In the Beatitudes, Jesus ranked mourning over sin second on the list of kingdom attitudes ahead of meekness, purity of heart, etc. How would grieving over our own sins, and grieving over the suffering of those who are still enslaved to sin because they do not know Jesus impact our heart attitudes towards the lost?

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