Nehemiah 9:17
“They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.
If your school fight song was "Dueling Banjos " or if you consider a chain saw a musical instrument, according to Jeff Foxworthy you might be a redneck. But according to Nehemiah, if you have continued to choose gods (with a small g) over the God who has miraculously and continuously rescued you, you might be a stiff neck. The Israelites time and time again were saved by God through miracles as they were in and leaving Egypt. But they continued to look to other gods to provide them the things they needed for their lives. Many of us are filled with the notion that if we had seen the miracles the Israelites saw, we would never have forgotten them. While you may not have been there when the red sea was parted and you’ve probably never had a manna sandwich, God is blessing you with miracles every day. The job you have, relationships, even your salvation are all gifts, all miracles. We are told that every good gift comes from God (James 1:17). If our good gifts come from God, then we are right to assume that they aren’t our doing.
Today, don’t be a stiffneck or a redneck. Choose the God (with a big G) at all costs…oh, and stop cleaning your ears with your car key!--