Lead Me And Keep Me Clean

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Reading: Nehemiah 13:30-31

Reflection: It's easy to pass over the phrase, "So I purified the priests and Levites of everything foreign..." But that is an amazing statment to be able to make. Remember that this is not a racist or ethnocentric statement. Nehemiah is simply stating what he sought to do...to remove from the religious leaders any and every item that did not belong either in the house of God or the lives of the leaders. What a statement...and warning to me as a pastor. It is not enough to show up and go through the motions. It is not enough to say the right things, perform the right tasks, and lead others to sacrificial worship. I, as a leader, must seek to purify me from all those things that would stain my leadership or cause me to lead others astray. This is a great challenge for me. I, like those I lead, am a sinful man redeemed by a great savior. Left to my own devices, I will falter and fail. I could easily say that I can "clean up my act" and "hold it together." However, like the priests and Levites of old who needed help from another to be purified, so I need help from another to clean up my life. That "other" is Jesus. Only He can make me, by the power of His Spirit, what by myself I can never become...a leader purified from all unrighteousness. So, like you, I cast myself on the mercies of God and ask the Lord Jesus to keep me clean and drive me forward in life. Only with His leadership will I stand secure. So, I humbly ask Him, lead me and keep me clean.

Wandering From The Faith

Friday, November 4, 2011

Reading: Nehemiah 13:23-29

Reflection: Do you remember how hard it was to stand on your own when you were a teenager? Maybe it was easier for you, but for me having the acceptance and approval of my friends was of utmost importance. It's not as though I didn't have an inner set of convictions by which I had decided to live my life. It's just that when following those core convictions was in conflict with gaining the approval of my friends, there were many times that I chose acceptance over convictions. I'm not proud of my decisions, but the honest truth is that I brought harm to others, shame to my family, and sin to myself as a means of fitting in with my peer group. These pressures are even greater when the "friend" is someone we are dating or someone to whom we have been married. Few people impact our thinking and conduct more than the person we marry. As such, Nehemiah was incensed when he found the people of Judah getting married to people who he knew full well did not share their values or faith. Nehemiah understood that these people would be led away from the worship of God, and soon they would be just like Solomon who forfeited his faith for the sake of the women to whom he was attached. So Nehemiah takes drastic action to make sure he addresses the situation. We should take note of what Nehemiah did, and take serious action ourselves if our sons and daughters begin dating people who do not have the same faith. If we don't, we may simply be standing on the sidelines as our kids throw away a faith they once embraced.

Treating God Lightly

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Reading: Nehemiah 13:15-22

Reflection: When I was a little boy, we would often visit my grandma in a small town in South Dakota named Kennebec. The entire town was likely no more than 400 - 500 people. Even so, on Saturday evenings the small downtown area of the town would be bustling with activity. However, that all changed come Sunday morning. In many ways the town felt like a ghost town on Sundays. Nothing...and I mean nothing...was open for business on Sunday. I once asked my grandpa why the whole town shut down on Sundays and his simply reply was, "We don't want anything to interrupt with families gathering to worship God." I can't help but think of how things have changed over the years. We are no longer concerned with unhindered worship in our day. In fact, Sunday is a bigger day for many businesses than any other day of the week. The result is that the worship of God is marginalized or neglected by many. This was becoming an issue even in Nehemiah's day. People were treating God lightly by doing all other kinds of work and business on the Sabbath. Nehemiah knew this was against God's law...and he was not about to tolerate the activity. Nehemiah moved quickly to ensure that God's day would be set aside for rest from work and worship of God. In this way, the people's priorities were clarified, their bodies were rested, and their spirits were fed. I don't know about you, but I think we could use a bit more focus on the Lord in our day!

Being A Trustworthy Person

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Reading: Nehemiah 13:10-14

Reflection: On what basis should we as a people choose leaders? Should we choose those who are networked with other influential people? Should we choose people who have the personal wealth needed to run slick ad campaign's? Should we choose those who are good-looking, popular and powerful fearing that they may retaliate if we don't give them what they want? Or, is there some other more fundamental quality we should look for when seeking to choose leaders? According to Nehemiah, we should look for people who are trustworthy. We should elevate to positions of leadership who are reliable, dependable, and worthy of our trust. In this way we can make sure that they use their influence and position for the welfare of others rather than using others to advance their own position and influence. In addition, this is the quality we should seek to have within our own lives. If I am a person who is worthy of the trust of others, then perhaps I am the kind of person God may choose to elevate to places of influence. So, rather than focusing on being charismatic, popular, wealthy, good-looking or networked with the right people, maybe I should focus on being the kind of person other's can trust. Only then will I be ready to step into a position of leadership.

When It's Time To Clean House

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Reading: Nehemiah 13:6-9

Reflection: Welcome to November! Soon the leaves will be off the trees and the cold air of winter will settle in around our house. I can remember as a boy that this was a time for what my mom called "fall cleaning." Now, I know that some of you had "spring cleaning." However, my mom was not to let a good reason for cleaning go by, so we did cleaning on both ends of summer. So, as November closed in on me as a boy, mom would put on the potato soup and we would haul out of the house all the dirt, sand, and junk that had been collected over the summer. Only when the air smelled like chemical cleaners and the dust from the furniture was gone would we get to sit down and enjoy a bowl of soup. In some ways, we see this happening in the scripture passage today. Nehemiah comes back to Jerusalem and sees that impurity (through an impure person) was allowed to be within the temple area. So Nehemiah takes action and cleans house. He immediately recognizes the problem, removes the filth, and replaces it with that which ought to have been present. And as I think about it, this is a good formula for dealing with sin within my life. First, I have to be willing to see that the sin is present. Second, once I see that it is present, I need to clean out my life by getting rid of the filth that makes me spiritually dirty. Finally, once I have removed the filth, I need to replace it with something productive, positive and pure. So, take a moment and examine your life. See if there is anything that needs to be cleaned up. If there is, maybe its time for you to do some house cleaning. Once you're done, give me a call and maybe we can go out for a bowl of soup!