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.