Tag Archive - work

no shopping needed

February 7, 2011 in nehemiah with 0 Comments

Nehemiah 9:21

Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

Can you imagine if this happened today? If our clothes never wore out, if our feet didn’t swell from walking… if we lacked nothing. 40 years of no clothes shopping – sounds like heaven to me, and like hell for some of the ladies out there – am I right?

For forty years they lacked nothing. That makes me think… what do I lack?

How many of you have more than you NEED (not want, need)?

How many of you actually wear clothes until they wear out?

How many of us have actually been active enough that our feet have swollen?

We are abundantly wealthy, and yet poor spiritually.

We are clothed with nice clothes, but not with Christ.

Some of us are even healthy physically, but our Spiritual health is poor.

We can be blessed with clothes and have more than we need, and still be spiritually healthy… it just takes a little more work.

But that’s a dirty four letter word, huh.

Seek God today, are you rich/poor in the right/wrong things?

delegate

December 20, 2010 in nehemiah with 0 Comments

Nehemiah 1:1-4

[1] Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, [2] I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. [3] And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” [4] The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.

Nehemiah and the people of Israel have just finished an amazing feat.  They built the wall around Jerusalem in just 52 days.  He then begins to feel God is calling him to do another work, which we’ll see soon is to put together a list of the exiles who have returned to Israel.

He doesn’t try to do both things though, he delegates.

Sometimes God calls leaders to do many different things at different times, and sometimes we misunderstand what he’s saying and try to do it all for ourselves.  God wants us to involve other people in ministry, but often we don’t.

And what happens when we don’t involve other people?  We burn out, we get frustrated… and sometimes we just quit.

When instead, we could’ve delegated, allowing other people to help us in ministry.  Now, I’m not saying that we should give it all to someone who can’t handle it… notice that Nehemiah gave it to a man who “was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.”

I think many times ministers and Christian leaders burn out because we try to do it all.  We feel that God has called us to do this, and, of course, “no one could do it as well as me.” Then, as we begin to tire, we feel like no one wants to help in the ministry… because we haven’t allowed anyone to.

Nehemiah followed God’s leading, and appointed (delegated) someone to take over, who he knew he could trust, someone he knew feared the Lord.  He didn’t delegate to just anyone, but delegated to one who wanted to follow God’s leading…

When you’re feeling burned out – a) figure out what you can delegate, and find someone who is faithful to help you do that… and b) give it to God…

Sometimes you’ll feel like you can’t do it, that you’ll never be able to finish what you’ve started.  I know that the Israelites felt that way when they were halfway through building the wall, so, just like Nehemiah said to them: “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome!”

Delegate and remember God, your loving Father, will help… and so will many people who are itching to get some ministry experience…

in Christ,

Isaiah

generous

December 14, 2010 in nehemiah with 0 Comments

Nehemiah 5:14-16

[14] Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. [15] The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. [16] I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.

Generous.  I’m not referring to the portions of food that we eat, myself included.  Each time I restart counting calories I’m amazed by the amount of food that I can consume in a day, never thinking about how insanely overfed I am, we are, here in America.  It convicts, me, especially when we start reading Nehemiah 5.

Some of the Israelites are literally starving, having sold their land, goods and even sometimes themselves in order to pay for grain.  Even worse, each generation becomes more enslaved because those who could help, now can’t, because they are indebted as well.  The nobles are not doing right by their fellow man, not following God’s command.

Nehemiah becomes the governor and is supposed to exact a certain amount of food every day from his people.  He technically wouldn’t be wronging in requiring this of the people, nor would the people think anything of it, as all others have done it in the past… but he doesn’t.  He does not eat the food allowance of the governor, but rather from his own stock, his own wealth, he feeds himself and 150 other Jews. (v17)

Nehemiah wasn’t just generous with his wealth, he also gave of his time.  He, himself, worked on the wall, toiled alongside his fellow Jews.  He didn’t just stop at giving money or food, he gave of himself.

And I think that’s where we usually stop.  We’re happy to give money to help someone far away, but much less willing to go to another country ourselves.

We’re glad to give food and help someone in need, as long as it doesn’t take up too much of our time.

We give, but not ourselves.  We donate wealth, but not our time.

Let’s change that.  Let us, you and I, become generous not just with money or food… but with our time, serving, relating, sharing, enjoying one another’s company.

Let’s give of ourselves, not of our money, so that we can then HAVE the money to help those truly in need.

in Christ,

Isaiah

be prepared

December 13, 2010 in nehemiah with 0 Comments

Nehemiah 4:15-17

[15] When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. [16] From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, [17] who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.

Nehemiah and the Israelites are rebuilding the wall, and God has frustrated the plans of their opposition.  I love that wording – God had frustrated their plans.  Notice that it wasn’t Nehemiah, or the people, that frustrated the plans of their enemies, it was God.

If you let God deal with your enemies, it seems to go better than if you try.

Now they start back into the work, but this time are preparing for a fight.  Those who are working literally have a sword in one hand and are using the other to work.  Notice that they still had guards protecting the walls, yet even the workers carried a sword while they worked.  Workers or Protecters, they were all ready for a fight.

I think that sometimes we go into life unprepared for a fight.  We don’t carry around our sword (the Bible), ready.  We don’t have scriptures memorized to fight temptation.  We don’t have enough knowledge to answer those who question why we have the hope that we have.

We’re defenseless.

Be prepared is not just the motto of the Boy Scout, it should be the motto of every believer.

What can you do to be more prepared today?

What can you to do to carry your sword while you work?

in Christ,

Isaiah

Tech Support Thursdays #1

December 9, 2010 in personal, tech support thursday with 6 Comments

I decided to tell you a few funny stories that happened during my two years doing phone tech support.  These posts are going to be called Tech Support Thursdays, and for no rhyme or reason, today will be the first.  I’ll try to do this once a month, as I remember.

“My TV is broken”

Me – “*ISP Name*, my name is Isaiah, how may I help you?”

Caller – “My TV is broken.”

Me – [pause] “Um, this is *ISP*, not your tv company.”

Caller – “It has to do with the High-Speed.”

Me – “Alright, what seems to be the problem?”

Caller – “My TV isn’t showing anything.”

Me – “Do you mean your computer monitor?”

Caller – “No, the TV with the highspeed.”

Me – “So your monitor…”

Caller – [interrupting] “TV”

Me – “Ok, your TV, whatever, does it have a light on it?”

Caller – “Yes, it has an orange light.”

Me – “Ok, what I want you to do is press the button on the monitor  - sorry, TV, and then press the button on your computer – um, the big box underneath your monitor, er, TV.”

Caller – [sighing] “Ok.” [presses both buttons, and I hear the computer fan kick on.]

Me – “Alright, can you press the button on the ‘TV’ now?”

Caller – [surprised] “It works!  How did you do that?”

Me – “I believe that your computer was turned off.”

Caller – “Well who would do that?”

Me – “Uh, I’m not sure, but it was turned off.”

Caller – “Well, I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”

Me – “You do that.”

Let me know if you want to read more of these.

in Christ,

Isaiah

a mind to work

December 7, 2010 in nehemiah with 1 Comment

Nehemiah 4:6

So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

Nehemiah and the Israelites have done an amazing amount of work in a very short time.  The wall around Jerusalem has already been built to half its height.  They are halfway there, and already they’re feeling safer.  Nehemiah says that it was because, “the people had a mind to work.”

Notice that the people didn’t have a mind to speak, like their critics did.

They didn’t have a mind to complain, like they could have.

Instead, they had a mind to work.

When we have a mind to speak, all we do is talk.  We criticize other people’s work, plans, our loved ones and even our own selves.

When we have a mind to complain, all we do is, well, complain.  There is nothing safe from a negative outlook…

When we have a mind to work, that’s when God can use us to get things done.

I’ll admit that I struggle with this some days.  I don’t have a mind to work, I more have a mind to complain, or a mind to speak.  I’d rather talk about someone else’s work and what they’re doing wrong, or how they could never do what they’re trying to do.  I’d rather complain that what I’m doing is hard, and be negative about everything.

But God calls us to have a mind to work.

So, if you’re like me… If you struggle with this, then pray that God renew your mind, not into a mind to speak or complain, but renew you to have a mind to work for Him.

Let’s get things done for God today.

in Christ,

Isaiah