Tony, our children’s pastor asked us, “Are you the missing piece?” In every family road trip, there are roles to be held and each person is vital to the success and enjoyment of the trip itself. (Drivers, navigators, DJs, photographers just to name a few.) Yes, you could do without a few of the roles, but that means that others will have to pick up the slack somewhere. Trust me, you do not want me in charge of photography! Read more…

As we’ve journeyed through the book of Nehemiah together, we’ve experienced victory and achievement. We’ve celebrated with the Israelites as they completed the wall, experienced the conflict as they confronted their enemies, and witnessed their confession of sins and of the faithfulness of God. Now we turn to their covenant. A decision which would turn their lives into instruments of praise. I’ve always been fascinated by music, especially watching experienced musicians play with such ease. One common theme among those I’ve heard is that they always tune their instrument to the correct note. In other words, they adjust their instrument to make a pure sound. I have even witnessed them tuning their instrument in the middle of a performance because the purity of their note slipped. Often when we think of the covenants of the Bible and living a lifestyle of holiness, we think of rules and regulations. What if we began to think of a covenant as a way of tuning our lifestyles of praise? Read more…

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.”

~Nehemiah 6:9

Last week we talked of how “it begins with me” and the need for us to develop a personal change. When the enemy could not bring Nehemiah down with critique of his workers, physical intimidation (Neh 4) or with division among his leaders (Neh 5), he turned to attack Nehemiah’s integrity. The enemy realized that he must bring down Nehemiah if he was to destroy his destiny. The enemy of our souls still knows this is true today. He strives to bring down our example in our communities. In fact Brennan Manning says, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him in their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” Is serving God personal to you? It should be. It should be a matter of utmost importance that we learn to glorify God in all that we do and all that we are. Notice that Nehemiah prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.” When situations arise that would serve to distract you from God’s calling will you join Nehemiah in this dependence on God?

The statement “now strengthen my hands” is even more powerful when you consider where the enemy had desired to meet Nehemiah. He asked to meet him in the Valley of Ono (Otto) meaning strength. In a way of speaking, he wanted Nehemiah to meet him with his own strength. Nehemiah realized that his personal strength came from the Lord. The Lord is the one who had given the task, defended the task and empowered the task to this point. Nehemiah knew that despite the accusations raised against him, God would continue to be his fortress. God’s power was personal to Nehemiah. He would not be enticed to simply use his own means to overcome an enemy of God. He would trust in the power of his God. Today, you may be tempted to use your own business prowess to land you the account, you may be enticed to use your own wisdom to restore your family, but will you ask and wait on the Lord for his wisdom and discernment? God longs to direct your path in every matter of your life. Its time to declare that serving God is personal to you!

If it’s personal, it will show in your lifestyle. It will show in the way that you handle your business. It will show in your the way that you lead your family. Will you join with Nehemiah today and pray, “Now strengthen my hands”?