WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME

“Your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
Genesis 3:5 (NLT)

We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day.”
Nehemiah 4:21-22 (NLT)

“About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews.”
Nehemiah 5:1 (NLT)

They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.”
Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.”
And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes.
We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.”
Nehemiah 5:2-5 (NLT)

"When I heard their complaints, I was very angry."
Nehemiah 5:6 (NLT)

After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!”
Nehemiah 5:7a (NLT)

"Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.”
Nehemiah 5:7b (NLT)

At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense.
Nehemiah 5:8 (NLT)

Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations?"
Nehemiah 5:9 (NLT)

“If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and cannot support himself, support him as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident and allow him to live with you.  Do not charge interest or make a profit at his expense. Instead, show your fear of God by letting him live with you as your relative.  Remember, do not charge interest on money you lend him or make a profit on food you sell him.  I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.”
Leviticus 25:35-38 (NLT)

"I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest.  You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.”
Nehemiah 5:10-11 (NLT)

They replied, “We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say."
Nehemiah 5:12 (NLT)

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NIV)

GETTING PEOPLE RIGHT WITH GOD IS ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GETTING A PROJECT DONE FOR GOD