(Nehemiah 7:1-3 & 8:1-12)
“Success is about dedication. You may not be where you want to be or do what you want to do when you’re on the journey, but you’ve got to be willing to have vision and foresight that leads you to an incredible end.” –Usher
This week we pick back up with our Nehemiah: Building on the Will of God sermon series. Last time we were looking at the perseverance necessary to continue as objections, distractions and outright contempt was wanting to stop the work of rebuilding the wall. After much hard work, great leadership and dedication to the God given task––the wall is now complete!
As the story that Nehemiah chronicles transitions to completion of the wall, it will focus on celebration. The celebration of this monumental feat has the purpose of drawing the people to God. As they dedicate the work to God they take this opportunity to rededicate themselves in their worship to Him as well. The Books of Ezra & Nehemiah both describe the rebellion of the people and their inability to stay faithful to the God of heaven.
As we enter this new section of the Book of Nehemiah, we will begin to focus on the dedication required of the people of Israel. We will compare and contrast faithfulness to God and the works oriented culture that sometimes gets in the way. The quote above illustrates this tension very well in that sometimes we may not be where we want to be but with dedication we will get there. We will wrestle with these tension but we need to make a conscious decision to keep God first.
May we stay focused on God, striving to follow the footsteps of Jesus as His disciples and may the Holy Spirit guide us on our journey!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Geraldo
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