Awe of Nehemiah

This Sunday I will conclude a series of sermons on the book of Nehemiah that I started back at the first of the year. It has been interrupted by other sermons here or there and one Sunday we didn't have church, but it has been a wonderful book to study.

Too many books on Nehemiah focus of the leadership aspects of the book. Nehemiah is a wonderful book about leadership, but that is not the only focus on the book. I think I could preach this book three or four times in the next few years and concentrate on several different aspects or themes.

The theme that I felt God leading me to weave through the study of this book was the idea of passion for God. When you read the book you see the lack of passion on the part of the people of Jerusalem and you see Nehemiah's passion to do something great for God by rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. You see Nehemiah lead the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the wall and return them to passion for the things of God and in chapter 13 you see them return to the things that kept them from having passion for God and Nehemiah having to step in again and make some changes to keep their passion going.

Passion for God is always in balance and their are things that can come in and steal that passion and there are many things that Christ followers need to do in order for their Passion for God to stay strong.

For me it has been a book of returning to my first love and encouraging the the people of God that He has entrusted me with to run back to their first love.

My favorite verse in Nehemiah comes in 13:25 which says, "And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take oath in the name of God, saying, "You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves."

You know that is what I want to do to some people when they are not following God the way they should.

For the most part Christ followers are complacent people who live in comfortable happiness with our lot in life. We don't take chances and we have allowed to many things to go unchecked in our own lives that that we need to either repent of or lay at the alter of God. It is time for our passion for God to be renewed and rekindled and take back the things of God and live for Him the way He desires us to live.

I invite you to live with the passion for the God who has sought you and brought you into relationship with Him. If you are not passionate for God, start seeking those things that you need to do in order to become the passionate Christ follower He desires you to be.

Real Reality

This is my new favorite show behind 24. Nothing will surpass that show! I think the reason I like it so much is that it is real reality. These guys don't do this to be on TV, they do it to make a living. They take great risks so that people can enjoy the taste of King Crab in their homes or favorite restaurant. They work hard, they take risks and I am sure the life is not the most fun thing that can be done.

It goes to show that with great risk comes great reward.

What story are you telling?

I love stories! I love to read good stories, hear good stories and watch good stories. I am drawn in by the personalities and figures that make up a story. What makes people tick? Why do they do what they do? I am drawn to good stories that capture my attention and draw me in for a long period of time.

It is interesting as we read, hear, or watch stories unfold they teach us lessons about life, faith, and God. We don't need to look at the story just for its aesthetic value but the spiritual value that every story has as well.

I think that is why I love the bible so much is because of the stories that we get from the people. The beautiful thing is that bible has a wonderful aesthetic beauty to it, but the spiritual beauty is so much more beautiful and wonderful.

It is not unfathomable that there have been so many biblical stories that have been turned into movies of the history of film. Some of those movies have been good representation of the biblical story and still others have been a complete and utter farce to the biblical story.

The boat that people miss with God is that we think that He has written all the stories and that is the end. The fact of the matter is that our lives are a story of God's work in our lives. All stories of redemption are good stories to be told. They can encourage, strengthen, bring joy, be thought provoking and guide people towards God.

The question comes, what story about God is your life telling to the world in which you live? How is the story of your life making a difference in people's life? God can use any aspect of the story of your life to point people to His Kingdom.

Let God write your story, don't try and write it for yourself, because only when He writes it does it become a masterpiece!