Monday, May 25, 2015

Build or Not Build? That is the Question?



Ne 1:1-4 ¶ The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.  And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

The Book of Nehemiah is certainly a challenging one to read, but the man Nehemiah, is extraordinary as the unusual character of a giant for our God surfaces very quickly. As women used of God and wanting to know Him better, we can open this treasure box, pick up one and then another, walking away a better woman today than yesterday. I can’t help but ask myself this question, “What walls need to be torn down, Sharon, and what walls need to be built?” Maybe, some walls need to be “rebuilt” in your life and in mine, as well.

 Nehemiah and Ezra were so used instrumentally in the lives of God’s remnant. We have to stop and take notice of God’s way, His provision and His purpose. He wasn’t born yesterday and isn’t going to die tomorrow, so, kick back and get ready for the long haul! He is omnipotent and will remain so until FOREVER! He is omnipresent and will remain so, FOREVER, and last but not least, He is omnipresent and will remain so FOREVER!  Don’t you just love it! He is our security when our wall is broken down, still smothered in ashes, with nowhere to go but into the arms of the GREAT I AM! Why would we want anything less than the best?

My husband gave me our tithe and faith promise envelope two weeks ago. Like a good wife, I was supposed to have taken care of it, but all of sudden on one of the busiest days of my life, I remembered that I couldn’t remember where I put it. Have you been there, too? The search began……oh me…..kindergarten graduation came and went….stacks of stuff everywhere….high school graduation came and went….more stuff stacked on more stuff…..and then the panic button hit me in the middle of the night. I don’t know about you, but I take a little pride in my organizational skills.  The more hats one wears the more racks to keep them, right? Wrong!  Sometimes, they just stack one on another, until we stop and take the time to re-organize what is important and toss what is NOT important, or else re-group the stacks.

Nehemiah was concerned for his people and the welfare of Jerusalem. He already had a stressful responsibility in being honored as the cupbearer for Artaxerxes. I commend the man, don’t you? I would like to share with you this week, from a woman’s world, a few truths that could be gleaned from this man, Nehemiah.

When he heard that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates were burned with fire, he became desperately concerned. He didn’t jump up and run to their rescue. As women used of God, we must stay in control or else everything around us will be in disarray.  We are not the Holy Spirit, but you and I have to admit that our spirits in our home pretty much set the atmosphere for the family. So why do we fall apart? There is no need to! If you have to regroup this one, then do it! Our God gives us example after example of people He chose to do a job, and He so graciously shares with us the good character of that person and oft times, the bad. We have a choice…….stay in control or NOT!

Nehemiah immediately sat down and wept and mourned when he heard the bad news. We can cry and mourn without pitching a fit and causing others to avoid us. Cry in the shower, if need be, but don’t mess up by being a mess! God isn’t asking us to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, but He is commissioning us to encourage our husbands, our children and others. Who wants to be around a cry baby or a woman who constantly talks trash but claims to be a “Christian?”  Ask God to help you rebuild yourself if you struggle in being a woman who drags others down by dragging up garbage about yourself or about others. Leave it in the dung pile!

BUILD, DON’T TEAR DOWN!!!!

Next time we will continue in picking up some more truths from Nehemiah’s treasure box.

Until that time, Lord willing……
Sharon

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