Be A Nehemiah

Nehemiah 13:29-31 -  Remember them, O my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.  So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task.  I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me with favor, O my God.

 

From the common merchant living outside the city…to the leaders that held positions in the Temple…one by one Nehemiah rebuked them for the laws of God that they had broken. He used his leadership abilities to purge as much sin as he could from the people.  He addressed intermarriage…caring for the priests families….sent the Ammonite and Moabite peoples that had angered God out of the city… threw Tobias out of his guest room in the Temple…and restored the people’s heart to provide for the priests and their families through offerings.

 

His life is an example of how we should all purpose to follow God…with our whole heart and soul.  He lived a purposed life for God….straight forward and honest. He followed the laws of God given to Moses to live a life above reproach.  His constant prayers helped him identify the many jobs God needed him to do that would bring about a closer relationship with God for all of Israel.  All that he did glorified God…and helped the people live a more pure life.

 

I can’t let the fact that I am nowhere near being a Nehemiah… stop me from trying to achieve it someday. I must start by pondering what is missing from my life that helped him be so strong and passionate about his task for God.  And as I inventory my own life for Nehemiah qualities…I must ask God to strengthen and provide for me the wisdom and courage I need to be the servant he needs me to me.

 

I knew one of my weaknesses as soon as I read the word prayer.  God has been trying to help me strengthen my prayer life for years. I still need to work on my straightforwardness and honesty a bit too….I am much too worried about what people think about what I do. I am so thankful that God hasn’t given up on me yet….he will chase after me….until I get it… someday.

 

Father…thank you for recording the life of Nehemiah in your word.  Help me this day to not let his model be wasted…with empty words that I will try harder.  Let my prayer be instead that you will do what it takes to change my heart to be more passionate…and chase after you as much as you chase after me. Teach me how to pray like Nehemiah…so I can be strong…able to follow all your rules without bending. Take the words I study in your Bible each day and hide them in my heart so deeply that satan has no chance to ever remove them. Amen.

Walk...Sing...Praise...With Others

Nehemiah 12:27-29 -  At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. The singers also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem--from the villages of the Netophathites,  from Beth Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.

 

Nehemiah called together the people to dedicate the city and Temple to God.  He divided the leaders and singers that had come into two groups…and as they sang praise to God for what he had helped them accomplish…they walked the entire wall of the city until they met at the other side.  Then they went to the Temple and continued to sing… praise… and worship God.

 

The celebration continued at the Temple…all the people…even the women and children participated in singing….sacrifices…offering praise and prayers of thanks. It was a wonderful time…when all the people had gathered together…and let their hearts be completely given to God for a short time of pure praise and worship.

 

I wonder what would happen if we organized ourselves this way…and dedicated our churches….our schools…our homes …even our cities…to God like they did. Yes…some people would say we were crazy.  They would call us radical and say it wouldn’t change anything. But I believe God would look down on the effort…and see the hearts that want his love to change the crazy world we live in.

 

I am pretty sure the people inside Jericho called the Israelites crazy as they marched around the wall …silent…except for some trumpet blasts….until the walls crumbled around them. And those disciples walking to Emmaus…they learned a lot from Jesus that day….and did not even know it was him until dinner.

 

Father…thank you for this story that shows me a new way to dedicate and praise you for the things you have given me.  Help me to find ways to join with others …and organize our prayers to you to dedicate the places you send us to work…to rest….and to worship. Show us the places that you can change as we walk around them praying and singing and giving praises to you. Amen.

Volunteer...Or Forced By Lot

Nehemiah 11:1-3 -  Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns.  The people commended all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.  These are the provincial leaders who settled in Jerusalem (now some Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants and descendants of Solomon's servants lived in the towns of Judah, each on his own property in the various towns…

 

Nehemiah’s task for God was not fully complete until he made plans to inhabit the city he had built a wall to protect.  The city was sparsely populated at best…and would have been weak to defend itself if attacked.  The Temple stood vulnerable…..and the few people who had chosen to live inside the gates would have struggled to defend the great wall they had built.

 

Some people volunteered to move inside the mighty fortress….but the others had to be chosen by lot.  One of every ten people living outside the city was identified by casting lots in the manner of the Urim and Thummim…. the tool the priests used to decide the will of God in other situations…when there was no clear word from God.  They packed their belongings…rounded up the family and moved inside the city gates….with the leaders and others that had chosen to live inside the walls of protection so many had given their time to rebuild.

 

Life inside the city would have been a bit more demanding than life in a surrounding town. A stigma from the non-jews living close by would have been attached to them. It would have  excluded them from trading for supplies they might have needed.  They would have given up an established business or farm….or land used for shepherding. Each one would need to reestablish themselves in a business inside the city. They would have been held to a higher accountability to the rules of God…living closer to the Temple…the sounds of sacrifices and worship reminding them of the God who had brought them there.

 

Volunteer or forced by lot…the task was the same.  Those inside the city had the hard task of reestablishing their lives….working together as a community of believers in God...to be a model for everyone that had been born a descendant of Abraham. They were chosen…convicted on their own accord…or placed there by God’s tool of decision making ….to be the inhabitants of a great city.

 

Makes me think about our great nation…that some chose to come and inhabit so long ago.  Looking for freedom from a king they did not agree with…seeking to serve a God in the way spelled out by the Bible…they came on boats.  Many died that first winter…conditions harsh…food scant.  But they made friends with the Indians that lived there before them…and they feasted the next fall on the fruits of their labor together.  Maybe it is too early to think of Thanksgiving… but it came to mind as I read the many names of people that came together to repopulate Jerusalem.

 

It is an example to me of what true sacrifice is… both stories in history showing me what happens when people work together for the good of all… and release the need to have self come first.  Just  another reminder for me that I am not the center of attention…it’s not about me…it’s about God and his agenda.  Just like in Matthew 16:24…  “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

 

Father…. Thank you for the reminder that the world does not exist to please me.  Help me to grasp the bigger picture that you created me to help you show the world about your love.  Open my eyes to the tasks around me that require me to put selfish desires aside…so I can be a part of the community of believers working together to do your work.  Give me a clear picture of the task you placed me here to do…so I can be a servant bold and courageous ….one of the volunteers that step out to be used of you.  Amen.

Sign A New Covenant With God

Nehemiah 10:28-29 - The rest of the people--priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants and all who separated themselves from the neighboring peoples for the sake of the Law of God, together with their wives and all their sons and daughters who are able to understand-- all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord.

 

Everyone from Nehemiah….to the priests…all the Levites…the political leaders…and even representatives of all the common people…signed a covenant with God.  It renewed the promise Abraham had made to follow all of Gods laws.  They promised to visit the Temple on a regular basis….marry only other Jews who had promised to love God…raise their children with Gods rules…even dedicating the first born to his service.  They promised to tithe a tenth of all that God gave them back to him…even the time that he gave them each day.

 

Nehemiah called for them to commit everything about their lives to God…and allow him to direct everything they did.  A spoken promise was not good enough…Nehemiah required a written signature…a binding act of commitment to God’s way of life.  They all agreed together to support and help each other…and to never neglect the Temple of God…who had saved them more than once from total destruction.

 

Paul took this old testament model to the next generation. It is in Galatians  2:20….that he helps us understand how to sign our own covenant of commitment to God.… "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." His words of hope prove that is not impossible to live a life of total commitment to Christ…but we must die to self if we are to have a fighting chance at honoring our promise.

 

I remember the day as a 14 year old teen…that I entered a verbal covenant with God.  But I admit that at 54…I have not totally grasped the full meaning of such a covenant.  I have broken my promise to God countess times…and relapsed into my own selfish desires many times.  Perhaps I have not truly died to my flesh as Paul directed me.  Perhaps…I need to sign a new covenant with God…and renew my promise to love him more than anything else in my life.

 

Father…I thank you for the reminder to renew my promise to live for you alone. I enter into a new covenant with you this morning.  I promise to work on my relationships...and love others as you have loved me…unconditionally.  I promise to love and try to teach my children about your love…even though they are grown and living on their own. I promise to give back to you all the material resources you have blessed me with…even giving  a tenth of all that you give me back to the church.  I promise to give you all the time that you direct me to spreading the great message of hope and love to others who do not know you.  Help me remove the selfish flesh that has prevented me from keeping this promise to you in the past….and give me power and strength to overcome the temptations that satan places in my path. Amen.

Study....Confess....Pray.....Work

Nehemiah 9:1-3 -  On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads.  Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers.  They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.

 

Only a month since the Festival of Tabernacles…the people gathered once more to seek God.  They humbled themselves…dressed in mourning clothes…fasted…..and separated themselves from any foreigners.  They gathered for a quarter of a day…and stood in the presence of Ezra as he read the Laws given to Moses on the mountain.  Then they spent another quarter of the day...taking turns confessing their sins to each other. 

 

Ezra closed the gathering with a great prayer…giving credit to God as the creator and supplier of their every need. His prayer gave thanks to God for bringing them through each hardship he had allowed in their lives…and gave praise to him for the mercy that continued to forgive them and rebuild their faith after they fell from his grace.  He ask God to use the lessons they had learned to teach them how to be a stronger people…and renew the covenant he once made to Abraham.

 

Nehemiah and Ezra understood the great formula for becoming strong in our faith.  First we must come to God in our most humble condition…broken…empty of all life distractors.  Then we must study and read the great book of directions he gave us to point out our sins.  Each sin that we recognize must be immediately purged from our life in confession and repentance before God and someone we trust. The peace that God gives us in our moment of confession to him…leads our heart to pure worship of his care and love over every aspect of our lives. We want nothing but to praise him and transform the weakness of our flesh into a strong message of hope for others.

 

Study to show thyself approved unto God…a workman that needeth not to be ashamed of the gospel…that’s what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15. Romans 10:9 says…. “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Then we can begin to see our own sins and begin to confess those to God too.  And as he purges each transgression from our heart with his powerful cleansing blood…so he can transform us into his messengers of hope to others….turning the sorrow of our mistakes into messages of hope to others.

 

Father…thank you for this reminder that I need to study your great word so you can teach me right from wrong. Help me to spend more time studying…praying for guidance….confessing the many sins you identify….and praising you for all you have done for me. Do not let the troubles you have allowed to teach and guide me to be nothing to you…but help me to realize the purpose for each hardship…and take to heart the lesson that you need me to learn…so that I may be used to spread the gospel and truth about the sacrifice of love your son gave to all of those who believe in his name. Amen.

Study Deeper...And Act On Its Directions

Nehemiah 8: 14-16 -  They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: "Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths"--as it is written.  So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.

 

Nehemiah had asked Ezra to read the Law given to Moses to all the people.  So they gathered next to the water gate…near the city plaza…and stood while they listened to the holy words of God.  The words convicted their hearts…..causing them to weep and mourn for the time they had disobeyed God. They were told not to cry…but to celebrate this sacred day…and begin this day to change their behavior.

 

They noticed a scripture that required them to live in tents during the upcoming Festival Of Tabernacles. So they wiped their tears of shame and remorse…and turned their attention to gathering the limbs and wood they would need to build tents on their roof.  They lived in them for 7 days…while they celebrated the festival ….and took the first step in total obedience to God’s word.

 

This story reminds me of the importance of reading God’s word…and studying it for ourselves to find some practical application to our lives.  We can gather on Sunday in our churches….even cry tears of remorse at the altar when we are convicted of a sin…but do we take those words home with us and truly apply them to our lives.

 

I am guilty of listening to the sermon on Sunday…..even writing a reference to the scripture on my church bulletin….but never going back to study it in detail. I think in my heart that it is a message just for me….but never go back and ponder it on my own.  I get so caught up in the routine of reading one chapter a night…that I never think of looking up a second passage of scripture…to explore a deeper understanding of something the preacher said on Sunday.

 

Guess I had better take the hint…and begin to study more than my one chapter a night. I don’t think he wants me to build a tent on my roof…but I do believe he has a job of some sort for me to do.  Perhaps …if I searched and pondered the scriptures he leads my pastor to preach about on Sunday on my own time later in the week….I would have a clearer picture of what he does want me to do day by day.

               

Beware Of Resting Too Long

Nehemiah 7:1-3 -  After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed.  I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.  I said to them, "The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses."

 

The wall was finished…gates hung…gatekeepers appointed….and Levites placed in charge of the many jobs of the Temple and gates. Nehemiah chose two godly men to govern the city…and charged the whole city with the responsibility of watching their section of the wall for dangers.  Each citizen was to watch and guard carefully the section of wall closest to their home. The gates were to stay closed until everyone was awake and alert….and closed before the guards went to sleep for the night.

 

Nehemiah knew the dangers of resting to much in the satisfaction of a job well done.  He wanted the people to know that just because they had a wall…they were not protected from every type of attack. He called them to be alert at all times...never truly resting completely…but always keeping a sense of awareness in their spirit…always taking the time to guard against the surprise attacks that might be plotted against them.

 

I like to grab a cold glass of water or pop after a long session of gardening…weeding…or mowing.  It is so wonderful to sit and enjoy the pure beauty of the yard after you have toiled in it.  We look forward to those yearly vacations…where we can leave our work and stress behind for a time…and walk a peaceful beach…or sit next to a lake …napping with a fishing pole in one hand. There is nothing more peaceful to me than to sit next to a small stream…and listen to the sounds of the water rushing over the rocks.

 

But I am reminded today that these trips of rest and relaxing are but a short moment…compared to the rest of our lives. We must temper the joy and peace we feel in true rest with the knowledge that life has gone on in our absence. Even in the short weeks of vacation…we usually get someone to check our properties…..collect the mail…water the plants…feed and care for our pets. Someone fills our shoes while we are gone.

 

In our search for ways to rest and relieve the great stress we feel in work or burdens of illness…or depression form loss…we forget sometimes that the only true rest we have is in the father…and the saving grace his son Jesus gave to us when he gave his life for our sins.  Jesus spoke of it in Matthew 11:28...he said…. “"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” We seek out rest in earthly pleasures…when God wants us to see our rest in his love for us.

 

Father…thank you for this reminder that I need to be ever watchful of enemy attacks. Satan is ever watching for a weakness…a time when I have let my guard down. Help me to always to keep one eye open...posting a guard for satan’s tricks.  Help me to run to you with my stress and weariness…so you can make my burden light.  Help me to be more thankful for the moments of peace and rest you have already granted me….and use them to build myself up for the next job you give me to do. Amen.

Refuse To Give In To Fear....Pray For Strength

Nehemiah 6:9-11 -  They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." [But I prayed,] "Now strengthen my hands."  One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, "Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you--by night they are coming to kill you."  But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!"

 

The wall around Jerusalem was being repaired in record time….and the enemies that sought to keep it torn down got desperate.  So they began to plot to kill Nehemiah…thinking that if they killed this leader …surely the people would be so frightened they would stop work on the wall. Four times they sent messengers to tell Nehemiah to come meet with them…but Nehemiah always said no…and prayed to God for strength instead.

 

The fifth time they sent an unsealed letter…full of lies about Nehemiah’s intentions. The letter was meant to stir up trouble against Nehemiah’s good character…and scare him into hiding in the Temple.  But he was not afraid….he knew his place was not in the Temple…it was outside rebuilding the wall.  So with the strength he had received from God in prayer…he continued to encourage the people to finish the wall. 

 

Nehemiah is a model to me of how to face my worst fears.  His resolve to finish God’s work…came from the relationship he had with God in prayer.  He refused to give in to the ploys that satan created around him to slow down the mission God had given him to do. He was so focused on the job had given him to do ...praying for strength and guidance all along the way...he could discern the traps set to slow him down.

 

The relationship we have with God determines what we do when faced with fears of any kind.  Satan knows just what buttons to push to scare us…and the only way we can send him packing is to call on the name of Jesus to give us strength and courage to tell him to go away. We must stand strong in our faith …and refuse to give in to the fear and lies satan presents to our hearts to intimidate us.  We must instead call out to God for strength and courage to keep moving forward in the task he gave us all to do.

 

Father…thank you for this great story that reminds me to call out to you when I am scared.  Help me to always remember to stop and pray to you for strength and courage…then allow you to fill me with your wisdom and your love…so that I can send satan packing with his bag of lies. Show me how to pray like Nehemiah…and gain strength and wisdom and courage from my time with you.  Show me how to face my fears …with your great strength and power…allowing you to hold my hand.  Amen.

Help Others Without Expecting Repayment

Nehemiah 5:5-7 - Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."  When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.  I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them.

 

Some of the wealthier Jews had begun to take advantage of the poorer people who had returned from Babylon.  The poor had reached their limits of tolerance...and cried out to Nehemiah for justice.  They could not pay the taxes on their land….so the prosperous…in their greed…had required their daughters as payment.  They simply could not bear the thought of losing their sons as well.  They could not understand how someone who served the same God …and was a blood relative of Abraham….could be so pompous and callous toward their own people.

 

Nehemiah pondered his anger for a time before he acted.  And even though it is not recorded …I am sure that he asked God what to do…before he faced these men with their greed and hypocritical attitudes. He forced them to face their mistreatment of God’s chosen people…and called for them to be more caring toward their own people. He told them to give back the fields and taxes they had taken …and swear to God that they would never take advantage of their brothers again.

 

We are called to help our brothers and sisters without asking for anything in return. Luke recorded Jesus’ own words in chapter 6 on this topic.  His sermon to the disciples and the ones that had gathered around him were clear on lending to others that need our help.  Verses 34-35 say… “ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

 

We do need to be careful…there are just as many scriptures that warn us that too much help can make one co-dependent.   2 Thessalonians 3 gives a great warning to those that are idle….verse 10 clearly states… “ For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." We must somehow find a way to teach others to depend on God…not man for their many needs….as it says in Phillipians 4:19… “ And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

 

Only God can give us the discernment to know how much help each person requires. Sometimes…he requires us to give the cloaks straight off our backs… If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them…as recorded in Luke 6:29.  Other times he expects us to show someone how to find their own cloak….to walk beside them…and train them with the wisdom God has given to us.  Proverbs 22:6 … “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” …could mean all children of God…not just our own children. We just need to ponder…and pray to God for the wisdom he promised us in James 1:5… “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

 

Father….I thank you for the reminder that you think giving is much more important than receiving. Help me to give more and take less.  Help me to stop as Nehemiah did and ponder the worth to others of my gift…and whether it should be an outright gift with nothing to pay back….or a lesson in how to depend on you.  Help me to never take advantage of others…and ever to judge the needs you reveal to my heart…but rather show compassion and love and mercy the way your son Jesus modeled for me when he died for my sins and asked nothing in return.  Amen.

Prayer Reveals Strength To Encourage Others

Nehemiah 4:7-9 - But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.  They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.  But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

 

The workers on the wall met much verbal abuse each day as they continued their work.  Tobiah and Sanballat worked especially hard… using harsh words to try and slow down the progress on the wall. And when they saw that the wall’s progress was not impaired….they plotted to come and fight these people ….and distract them with their threats.

 

But Nehemiah was not to be mastered by the taunts and teasing of pagans. He went twice to God in prayer…and gained the wisdom he needed to continue the work on the wall.  He split the workers into one more group….and placed half of them as guards…while the others worked.  They worked longer hours and wore their weapons as they continued to stack the stones to half the height they would be when the project was completely finished. 

 

Nehemiah gained the courage and strength he needed to persevere from the time he spent in prayer. He wanted God to turn the teasing and abuse back on the people who tried to deter the work on the wall….but God had other plans.  God used the courage and strength that Nehemiah gained in prayer to encourage the people to keep going…even though it was hard. God used this time to teach them about perseverance.

 

I needed to hear this story…so I would remember the scripture in Romans 8:28-31 … “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.  What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

 

If I pray like Nehemiah did…and not let the craziness of the world confuse and trick me….God’s plan for my life will be as clear as Nehemiah’s task to complete the wall.  It was in his times of prayer that God made clear the full extent to which he was called to encourage these people…weak from years of captivity….and tired from the sheer load of their labor. He did not give up…just used the wisdom God gave him to regroup and plot a new way to encourage the people he was charged to lead.

 

Perhaps it was this story that inspired the words of Paul in Philippians 2:13-14 …. “ for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  Do everything without complaining or arguing…”  I am reminded once again that the world does not revolve around me…but around the wonderful Savior …Christ Jesus….who died on the cross to save my sins. If I can learn to put my own agenda away for long enough…he might be able to use me to share his love with others…the way he has always planned…but I have failed to see through my selfishness.

 

Father…I thank you for this story that reminds me to stop and pray when things seem out of control. Help me to learn to come to you in prayer when I feel the world’s confusion and harshness try to trick me into giving up.  Create in me a need to bring all my sadness…and frustrations to you…instead of venting how tired I am to others…and complaining about how hard life might be in any one day. Help me learn that my prayers to you must be increased…in time and rigor…so that you can begin to strengthen me as you did Nehemiah…so you can use me to encourage and strengthen others.  Amen.

Teamwork Rebuilds The Wall

Nehemiah 3:1-3 -  Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel.  The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.  The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.

 

Nehemiah had organized them so well that a whole chapter is dedicated to recording the many people that helped repair the massive wall around the city of Jerusalem.  It was over 2 miles long…had an average height of 39 feet…was and average thickness of 8 feet….and had 34 watchtowers…placed strategically around the 8 gates of the city.

 

You really have to read the entire chapter to visually the teamwork that went into the project.  Families took charge of the areas closest to their homes….daughters and sons alike worked long hours placing heavy stone blocks together to form this impressive structure.  The mere heaviness of the labor …moving the heavy timbers of support….somehow moving stones that weighed anywhere from 2 to 100 tons.

 

As I tried to write down the many names in this chapter I began to get a sense of the teamwork that Nehemiah had orchestrated in this project.  From the priest’s…to the Levites…to the individual families and leaders of clans…they all rolled up their sleeves and participated in restacking the huge stones that made this 2 mile long wall around the city.

 

The Bible talks about the importance of teamwork in other places. Ephesians 4:16 says…. “From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” 1 Corinthians 12 speaks of the importance of all parts of the body of Christ working together using their individual gifts.  And Ecclesiastes 4:12 is one of my favorites… “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

 

I am guilty of not practicing this concept enough...or teaching the concept to my kids.  It was easier for me sometimes to just do it alone….so I knew it was done the way I wanted it done.  My need to be in control or my need to have it done quickly and out the way prevented me from understanding the value of teamwork in a family or group of workers. This project would have taken many more years if Nehemiah had tried to do it himself.  God gathered together the people that would benefit by the protection of the wall and created a sense of ownership in the part that they played in rebuilding the wall.

 

We all have a new ‘wall’ to rebuild in the world today.  Satan has crumbled quite a bit of the structure of the church these days…convincing many to not be a part of one anymore.   I talk to people every day that feel they can worship on their own just as well …or even better than they could if they were a part of a church. I know many people who have decided that they do not want to be associated with the hypocrites in some churches these days. A new ‘religion’ is born every day….that has interpreted the Bible in a new way….in attempt to fix the problems they saw in the last ‘church’ they tried to participate in.

 

We must simply begin to work together as a team again…to look past the boundaries of denominations…and begin to see the simple truths the Bible speaks to all of us.  WE must organize ourselves like Nehemiah did…and find the part of the wall closest to our home.  We must begin to move the heavy stones of indifference and hypocrisy…and place them back together to seek out the lost and unsaved.

 

Father…I thank you this morning for reminding me that I am not alone.  I thank you that you have called others to believe in your great love and that you have placed me in the midst of other believers that give me support and love.  Help me to find the part of the ‘wall’ that you have assigned me to work on.  Show me which heavy stone to pick up first…and exactly where to place it.  Lead me to the team of people that you have chosen to help me…and bind us together in your great love to do your work. Amen.

Pray Without Ceasing...While You Wait On God's Timing

Nehemiah 2:3-5 -  but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"  The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven,  and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."

 

Nehemiah had been pondering his burden for repairing the great city of Jerusalem for 4 months.  He could not hide his sadness from his boss…even though it could have meant his loss of employment or even death. Gathering strength and courage from many days of prayer…he boldly answered his compassionate boss’s concern….lifting one last spontaneous prayer before he revealed his burden.

 

He explained to the king that he was worried about his friends and kinsfolk that had traveled back to repair the Temple of Yahweh.  He requested permission to leave his important job for the king…and go to Jerusalem to lead the needed repair on the wall that might protect them from harm in the future.  God was so gracious to Nehemiah…and gave him such great courage that when the king quickly granted Nehemiah permission to go…he asked him also for letters of royal proclamation to protect…and provide him with timbers to build the gates of the walls…and a home for himself. 

 

Sometimes…God answers our prayers…and reveals his will…but he asks us to wait on his timing to reveal the answer to others. We are sure of the job he has chosen us to do …but he has not sent us out with our papers of protection….or we might still be waiting for the resources to do our job. He is strengthening us…and working on the hardened hearts that he needs to use to provide for us all we need to do his work.  He is aligning the many paths that need to cross for his perfect will to be done.

 

It is a reminder to me to be more patient…and continue to pray about a burden until God reveals the time …or opportunity to do the thing he wants us to do.  We will feel his spirit inside us as soon as the opportunity arises…and must be ready to pray a spontaneous prayer of strength and courage…as we speak the words God gave us for just that moment. he will give us courage to reveal not just the task he has placed on our heart…but ask for the provisions we need to do the work.

 

If the timing is in his perfect will…he will shower on us all that we need to do his work.  He will lift us up and give us the strength of eagles…he will mark every important step with his love…he will place a passion inside our hearts that the Holy Spirit will increase and give us wisdom to carry out. God will even overflow his love to give us extra blessings…just like the extra timbers he provided for Nehemiah to build a home.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder to continue in prayer over the burdens you have placed on my heart… until the time that you are ready to reveal your plan to others.  Father…help me to continually come to you in prayer with the concerns and burdens you have placed on my heart…to pray without ceasing…so that one day you can use your Holy Spirit to reveal the perfect time to ask for permission to go and complete the task you placed me here to do. Create in me a courageous heart and make e bold…yet wise in the timing of your will…so the bigger picture you are working on will come to pass exactly as you have planned. Amen.

Turn Your Prayers Of Sorrow Into A Passion For Change

Nehemiah 1:8-10 -  "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,  but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'  "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.

 

Nehemiah was one of the exiles to Babylon that chose to stay in his comfortable job.  He was the cup bearer to the king…in charge of tasting everything the king was given to eat and drink…to ensure it was not tainted or spoiled in some way. It was an important job…that allowed him to live in the Palace…comfortable and well taken care of.

 

But one day some of his friends came to visit…and told him of the state of the wall that once surrounded the great city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s heart was instantly burdened for his friends…his family…the remnant of Judah that had chosen to return home and rebuild the Temple.  He stopped everything…began to fast….and pray to God for direction.  His heart remembered the prayer of Moses in Leviticus 26:33….and he quoted it boldly as he knelt before the Lord.

 

Nehemiah went one step further….and lifted his eyes from the sadness he felt.  He allowed God to exchange the sadness with a purpose to change what had burdened him. He rose with boldness to seek the permission of his king…to return to his people…and be in charge of rebuilding the wall of protection that had given the Israelites such strength and confidence. Nehemiah allowed God to transform his sadness from the burden he felt…into an energy and passion to complete the work God had called him to do.

 

What a great model for all of us who tend to focus too long on the problem.  We lift up a burden to God night after night in our prayers….never stopping to think that God might have plans to use us to change it.  We need to pray the way Nehemiah did…and allow God to reveal the resources he has placed in our hands to begin to fix the problem we have been burdened about. We need to look past the sadness and pain of the problem…to the joy that will come when God reveals his purpose and answer. Then we need to go one more step…and become part of the answer.

 

Father…I thank you for the reminder that no problem in our world is new to you.  Thank you for the many people you have burdened to pray for just one of these troubles ….thank you for the many prayers they have offered to ask you to intervene like Nehemiah did.  Help me to take the time to pray like Nehemiah…and lift up the pain I see in others…as well as the pains of my own heart. Help me to open my eyes to see the resources you have placed in my hands to change one of the many things that people struggle with each day.  Help me to put my compassion in prayer to the next level…and begin to use my time to transform my prayer of intervention into a passion to change the world…one problem at a time.  Amen.

True Repentance Changes Our Behavior

Ezra 10:10-12 - Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel's guilt.  Now make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives."  The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: "You are right! We must do as you say.

 

Ezra had been praying…crying out to God for direction.  The people had intermarried with the heathen nations around them….and diluted their faith with the beliefs of their wives. A large group of people had gathered around him…and were praying with him. 

 

Then Ezra stood with certainty in his heart that he had received the answer he sought from God. He called for them to confess their sins…and separate themselves once more as the chosen people of God. And all the people …except for 4…agreed…and began the long process of coming before the priest to confess their sins…and offer a sacrifice to God for their sins.

 

It is a reminder to me that true repentance does not stop with confession…it leads to a change of heart that drives you to change your behavior.  And the process is much simpler for me than these Israelites…for since Jesus already paid the sacrifice for my sins…all I have to do is confess my sins and let his Holy Spirit help me change my behavior.

 

I admit…it isn’t always convenient to fall our knees like Ezra…and cry out to God for what to change….and it may be difficult to separate ourselves form the things that cause us to sin the most…it just seems so radical to our hearts.  I admit that true change does not happen overnight…these Israelites continued to meet with the priests…purging of these women and children from their lives for 3 months.

 

God holds the strength…and the courage …and the wisdom for all of us that need to release something sinful from our lives.  Philippians 4:13 says…. “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” It doesn’t say some things…or most things…it says all things. Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:1…"Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

 

Father…help me examine my life for anything that is sinful to you.  Give me a time that I can come to you and pray…and call out for you to help me confess it before men…so you can forgive me…and help me release it completely from my life.  Place in me the courage of Paul and Ezra…to fall at your feet and pray for direction before you….then stand and speak confidently the answers you place in my heart.  Amen.

Don't Dilute Your Faith

Ezra 9:1-2 -  After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, "The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites.  They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness."

 

Ezra returned to Jerusalem to find the people …and even the leaders…and Levites that God had appointed to oversee his work in the Temple …intermarrying with the pagan nations.  The influence of the wives they married diluted the faith that they had been raised with.  The women they married convinced them that they should join them in worshiping the many heathen gods they thought held the answers of life.

 

Ezra immediately tore his clothes in an act of repentance before the Lord. He even tore out some of the hair of his beard to show the people around him how serious he was in his concern. Many people gathered with him and sat with him until evening…when it was time to offer the evening sacrifices.  Then he rose and offered a humble prayer to God…crying out to him with the fear in his heart…that the recent blessings of freedom might be revoked for this sin.

 

Ezra was only upset about the consequences of intermarrying the heathen women around Jerusalem ….but his concern is a reminder to me to guard the purity of my faith in all aspects of life. 1 Corinthians 10:12 says… “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”  And 2 Peter 3:17 says… “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” And don’t leave out the warning we hear in Galatians 6:1… “And let each of you keep watch over himself, lest he also fall into temptation.”

 

Father…help me to guard the love that you have placed in my heart. Help me find ways to stay strong…and be more cautious than I am permissive when I am exposed to things that would cause me to fall.  Show me how to keep watch…and allow your still small voice to remain ever in my heart…to help me make the right choice when I am tempted. Walk with me today…an show me how to walk like Jesus did….to be in this world and model your love…but not of this world and its diluted…justified ways. Amen.

Stop An Declare A Fast

Ezra 8:21 - 21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

 

Ezra had left Babylon with 15 subclans of Israelites.  He had stopped at the river to count and organize the people who would be traveling with him. He had noticed the absence of Levites….and sent to Eliezer… the high priest to send him some Levites to help be in charge of the gold and silver items they would be carrying back to the city….and help the worship when they arrived.

 

Before Ezra left on his 900 mile journey…he stopped for three days…and proclaimed a fast…to pray and seek God’s direction and protection on the lives of all involved in the trip.  He did not want to ask the king for help…he had already bragged on his God’s ability to protect and provide for their every need.

 

So Ezra did what Moses did and recorded in Exodus 34…he fasted…and focused his complete being on God and what he would have this group of people do as they left Babylon.  Moses fasted 40 days….while he received the 10 commandments…the presence of God so overwhelming to his being that he did not even think of eating.  But Ezra purposed in  his heart to fast…to do without food or water for 3 days…so he could spend more time praying and seeking direction from God.

 

Fasting seems so out of place in our hurry up world of fast food and a restaurant on every block. The last thing most of us think of… is doing without food or water…just to pray.  Most people who share their testimony about this biblical concept have watered the true concept down to giving up one item in their life.

 

I will admit that I have never completed a period of fasting where I gave up all my physical needs….food and water….in a situation where I had separated myself even from the busy world.  I sure never went off in a wilderness for 40 days…just to pray and seek God….like Jesus.  I am guilty of watering down my fast choice of no coffee for a time…or no sweets for a week….or no facebook for three days…with the support of other physical pleasures that made up for the thing I might have given up.

 

Maybe it is unrealistic to take this scripture literally…and stop everything for three days…and just pray. But I can’t help but think God is trying to help me understand the next level of letting go of the world…so we can better understand the way his heart thinks.  I just bet there are some pretty great testimonies of blessings that came from the ones who have tried it…the way Ezra …and Moses (Exodus 34)…and Jesus(Matthew 4)…and David(2 Samuel 12) …and Hannah (1 Samuel 1)…and Elijah (2 Kings 19)…and Paul (Acts 9)….completely and entirely set themselves in a place of quiet …where they could concentrate on nothing but God…for a period of days.

 

Perhaps this scripture is a reminder that Jesus supported and even modeled for us the need to separate ourselves from time to time to concentrate on nothing but God’s will for our life. Perhaps we are not to justify ….NOT fasting...because the world thinks it is too radical or crazy….but rather really pray for God to open up a block of time that we can experience this spiritual concept for ourselves…in its pure sense…without the interruptions of life and a busy world of work and family.  Maybe we should as Ezra did….even take our families and close friends with us …so they can see what the spirit is able to do when we concentrate on nothing but God.

                                                                  

Father….I thank you this day for the reminder that I need to stop occasionally and inquire of you what direction I need to go.  I am sorry that I have never truly grasped the concept of what a full fast is…or allowed you to speak with me in this intense way.  I ask this morning for you to help me find a block of time when I can experience a full fast…the way you explained it to your disciples in Matthew 6.  Show me the time that I can give all my time….energy and love to you…so you can show me a bigger…clearer picture of your will for my life.  Amen.

Devote Yourself To Study...Then Teach The Word To Others

Ezra 7:9-10 -  He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.  For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

 

The direct descendant of Aaron…Ezra had lived in Babylon for many years with the other captives that had been taken there. Rising to great favor with the king…he was commissioned to bring the second group of Israelites back to Jerusalem.  The letter that commissioned him spoke of his great knowledge….ability to lead …and teach.  The king sent money…animals for sacrifice…and even lifted the heavy taxes form the Jews living in Jerusalem.

 

Ezra had somehow remained faithful to God…and spent many hours studying and teaching the laws of God that he had given to Moses on Mount Sinai. His devotion to God was rewarded with a covering of protection that helped him make the long trip back to Jerusalem in just 4 months. Ezra praised God…and gave him all the credit for the many blessings on his life…and the lives of all the people that had returned to Jerusalem.

 

What a great reminder that we should determine in our hearts to study God’s great word. AND….that study alone is not good enough for someone who has dedicated ALL their heart to God’s will in their life. The first passion of anyone who has truly soaked God’s wisdom into their soul will be to share and teach it to others.  Ezra is a model to me of how my study of the Bible should never be a simple routine of reading….but a deep desire to use its words to understand his will in my life…and a compassion that drives me to share it with others.

 

Paul said it best when he was writing the great words of encouragement to his close friend and student in 2 Timothy 3:14-17…. “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

 

Father…thank you for your word…your great wisdom and laws for living…that you allowed to be penned by Godly men and collected by others who you had commissioned to compile it into one Book called the Bible.  Help me to light a fire of devotion n my heart to study it…and soak up the wisdom you have placed there to help me know your will.  Give me the ability to share its words with others…so that they can come to understand the plan you have for them as well. Amen.