Public Displays of Affection

All the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clearand giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-9

He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Luke 10:27a

"My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children."
Hosea 4:6

In the times precedeing Nehemiah the people had achieved separation of God- or should I say from God- his holy name, unmentioned, the Temple untended, his Book containing the instructions for life, the Torah handed down from God Himself to Moshe- unread. The result: disaster. The country had moved from being world leaders, safe and secure in their own land, the people prosperous and happy as they worshipped and praised the One from whom all blessing flow- the Lord God Almighty, our Father in Heaven, who is gracious, compassionate, and slow to anger. But anger Him they did, just as the world today is. Israel disintegrated, her enemies conquering, the people exiled, the national treasures stolen...and Israel's history is much longer than ours. Do we think that the same thing can't or won't happen to us? What have we become? So "progressive" that the moment the Holy One of Israel's name is mentioned, the moment anyone publicly wants to praise Him, thank Him, adore Him, all aspects of worship He desires and requires, the agents of a wicked and deprived generation screams foul, proclaiming contrived principles of "Separation of Church and State" , a principle expounded by a God hating, selfish humanity that is reaping what they have sown- separation . As I write this parts of this country are literally ablaze with raging hotter-than-furnace fires, while other areas of the country are deluged with raging floods, the media declaring record topping disasters. In this once great nation, abortion flourishes, our public schools dispense condoms, while metal detectors are required as students enter the halls of institutions where the name of God is prohibited from being uttered except as a curse word. Everywhere we look factories are closed and empty, the jobs exported to foreign nations, given to others by corporations who answer not to God but to stockholders, as the love of money abounds, unemployment offices are packed, our Treasury prints worthless paper, people squander their valuable time seeking to be entertained, idolizing and cheering on sports figures and movie stars, while a remnant prays MARANATHA HOSANNA- Lord, how long will you relent??
My prayer today: Lord, turn the hearts of the children back to their fathers, pour yourself out out all flesh, lift up this generation of God lovers, worshippers who will push the envelope of PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION FOR YOU GOD. Breathe on dry bones of dead-people-walking across this nation and others, and that they would be drawn to read and understand the Bible, not pointless books about vampires and warlocks... that your Word that has been buried under layers of dust in their homes and offices would draw them, your Word read and hungered after, just as it was pronounced publicly by Nehemiah and Ezra, as to a people hearing the Word of the Lord for the first time.
Who will you serve today? Whatever venue you work in, whoever you are, who will you serve? In every office, factory, marketplace, school, at very flagpole of every school, hospitals, hotels, barracks, Congress- from the school house to the White House...we need not fear worshipping God publicly...
We only need to fear not worshipping Him.