Nehemiah the Civil Servant - Part 2

In the last devotion we considered in Chapter 1, how Nehemiah was conscientious even as he served in the palace of the king. He was working. It reminds us that God does not use lazy people. That's a very important requirement of an effective leader or servant (or debtor): “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor” (Proverbs 12:24); his future is bleak: “A slugged does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing” ( Proverbs 20:4); he may come to poverty: “The soul of the lazy man desires and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich” ( Proverbs 3:4 KJV).

Second we saw the concern of Nehemiah in Chapter 1:2 - I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.He was concerned about the welfare of his people and more importantly the City of God, Jerusalem. In spite of being a great government official and in a foreign country, he has concern for God and the matters pertaining to God. Jerusalem was the city of his forefathers and he was probably the third generation born in exile, yet there was an attachment for the things of God. In Haggai Chapter 1:3 - Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet ,"Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" There the people were more concerned with matters pertaining to themselves and the matters of God took a low priority. God's house was in shatters but no one cared.

The question we need to ask ourselves is, are we concerned about the affairs of God and that which pertains to His kingdom. Does the fact that souls perish around us bother us? Does the recent catastrophes in Chile, and Haiti move us with concern or is it just another breaking news. What is our involvement in the running of the church? A believer should do more than just attend the service on a Sunday. A leader should have more concern for the affairs of God than his personal affairs.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"It is finished" - Jesus Christ

Image
John 19:30 - When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. It's Good Friday again. The world pauses and recollects the events that changed the course of history. For me it was a time to reflect on the finished work of our Lord on the cross. He paid the price for my redemption. But it dawned on me that Jesus, himself, had a task to do while on this earth, He was on a mission. There was a time frame. There was a script to follow. In military terms , there was an objective he had to capture. Anything short would have been a disaster. But towards the end, in spite of the agony at Gethsemane, the unfair trail, humiliating and torturous journey via Dalarosa, Jesus cried, "It is finished". What an achievement. What a fitting eulogy.  Jesus was faithful to His mission - Hebrew 3:2 Jesus was focused on His mission - Luke 9:51 Jesus finished His mission - John 19:30  Judas towards th
Read more

What a trip to Nepal

Image
I am sitting at the airport restaurant in Kathmandu, checked in and waiting for my departure to New Delhi and from there, onward to Singapore.  Just sipping and enjoying the Americano coffee and a slice of cheese cake as I reminiscent my last nine days in Nepal. It has been a incredibly tough trip but one filled with joy, great satisfaction and challenges. Tough because of the bad roads, tracks and mountain trekking that really tested my endurance and my back was sore.  Couple of knocks on the head as the vehicle danced to the tune of the undulating terrain. Days when I had terrible diarrhoea, running from one mountain toilet to another. Thank God I had Dr Mike Ong on this trip who is a medical doctor from Singapore, who attended to my condition. Times when we had to sleep on the cold floor with thin sheets of cloth, with rodents in the vicinity. Temperatures dropped to a low of 10-12 degrees centigrde in the nights. Eating the food offered by the villagers as we were up in the mounta
Read more

Devotion - Psalms 44: 6-7 - Its God who gives the victory

Image
Psalms 44:6-7 - I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. Any soldier will know that the basic weapon of warfare, in those days, were the bow and sword. Without which no soldier will not venture into the battle field. Even the famed Goliath was geared in full battle order when he faced David with the stones and the sling. Isn't it a paradox then that David, one of the finest soldiers Israel had ever produced, proclaims that its not the bow and the sword that gives the victory. Its is the Lord, Jehovah, that gives the victory. I don't think David is trying to say that we should not prepare ourselves for warfare. His concern is that we recognize that ultimately its the Lord that gives the victory. A few things we need to remember: Human efforts are necessary in the God-man partnership Human efforts alone does not guarantee God intended results Recognize that its God that always gives u
Read more