PRIORITIZE THE MAIN THING WE PRAY FOR BY DOING THE MAIN THING WE WOULD DIE FOR
At a recent “note burning ceremony” the church’s pastor commended the parishioners, then commented on the meaning of the special occasion, reminding people that, whereas the burning of a note of indebtedness calls for rejoicing, achieving debt-free status must be looked upon as a new beginning not an ending of the task assigned to the Church by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
What IS the main thing Jesus taught His followers to pray for as we face the challenge of living the Christian life? “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”! God’s Will for us is salvation . . . sanctification . . . glorification.
Because God loves us, salvation from “the sin that so easily besets us” was made available to us by the atoning sacrifice of Christ Jesus. Sanctification occurs as we grow in our relationship to Christ the Lord. Glorification awaits all who are faithful unto death! “What a day of rejoicing that will be!”
Since we pray for the doing of God’s Will – that sinners be saved, then sanctified on their way to being glorified – what, therefore, should we Christians consider to be our top priority? Would it not be to “know Him whom to know is life eternal”?
We come to know Him as did His early disciples who saw Who He was . . . heard what He said . . . sought to understand Him . . . left all to follow Him . . . committed their way unto Him . . . lived for Him . . . told others about Him . . . beheld His resurrection and thus were willing to die for the sake of the Gospel.
Folks, there’s so much at stake concerning the task assigned to the Church of Christ! We dare not make: “the burning of a note of indebtedness” the end of our mission . . . the building of walls in which to house our place of worship the end of our work for the Lord . . . steeples, stained glass windows and all the rest our crowning achievement.
Our challenge is to prioritize the main thing we pray for by doing the main thing we would die for! The beloved Apostle John put it this way:
“What we are telling you about is that which was from the beginning, that which was heard, that which we saw, that which we gazed upon, which our hands touched. It is about the Word of life that we are telling you. And the Word appeared to us, and we saw it, and testify to it; and we are now bringing you the Word of this eternal life!” (I John 1:1-4)
Although building walls for a place of worship was (is) a task not to be taken lightly inasmuch as it serves a specific purpose, the completion of the structure must be seen for what it is: a means to an end, or, the prelude to a greater work. Now . . . So that God’s people clearly understood this principle - that finishing the walls was (is) but a prelude to something fa greater - Nehemiah turned his attention and theirs away from the wall to the Word – Nehemiah 6:1-3 and 6:15-16 . . .
Turning attention away from the wall to the Word occurred on two fronts – those outside the wall and those inside the wall . . . from the perspective of enemies of God and from the perspective of people of God - those who hated the Word and those who loved the Word. To God’s enemies, there had to be a resounding “No”!
Unless God’s servants say “No” to the “demands” or “suggestions” of those who reject the Lord and ridicule people who love the Lord, attention is going to be directed by them toward outward and inward issues rather than directed upward to things that are nobler, things that are higher – confusing folks instead of creating solutions . . . demoralizing rather than uplifting.
How proud we ought to be of Nehemiah for recognizing a sinister plot to do him harm . . . withstanding pressure to engage in ‘conversation’ that would delay, distract from, do harm to the main thing which God sent him back to Jerusalem to accomplish – restoration of faith in God . . . pride in country . . . family. So:
“Why should I go down to you?” “Why should I stoop to your level?” “Why should I leave a work that is going so well and near completion?” Well, well, well. Precisely the point! Near completion! The enemy has tried everything else to stop progress; so NOW let us talk, talk, talk; who knows, maybe we can talk it to death!
But Nehemiah had in mind a far greater kind of talk - one that he had been led of the Lord to have with the people – the essence of which can be summed up in four words, “Thus saith the Lord” - Nehemiah 8:1-8 . . .
Finally, Nehemiah and Company’s work of rebuilding the walls . . . redefining the boundaries of the Holy City . . . recapturing their identity as “ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, ye ransomed from the fall” is nearing completion.
Next comes the challenge of reinstituting the Book of the Law of Moses as God’s guiding light for His people . . . reclaiming the fervor of walking in the light of God’s Word . . . refocusing minds and hearts on the ultimate objective of God’s words to His people - then and now.
Nehemiah stood head and shoulders above all other leaders of Israel in his determination to see God’s plan through to the finish, and to make sure everyone had as their goal: making God’s Word central to all that we seek to be and do.
No priority is greater than that which we assign to the Word! If we wish to get caught up in and maintain that spirit of revival which took hold of Nehemiah’s once-down-trodden-sinners-turned-overcomers, we too must cultivate responses to the Word as did they . . . hungered for the Word . . . heard the Word . . . honored the Word . . . heeded the Word.
Words of Jesus: “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness.”
Most folks in “my world” truly desire to be right with God and stay that way . . . God’s Word sets forth how to get right with God . . . stay right with God . . . rightly treat one another. There is no higher standard of righteousness to be found in any book other than that which is set forth in God’s Word. Folks who desire to be and do right in God’s sight look to the Word!
A distinction Jesus made between children of God and children of the devil was written by John: “They who belong to God hear what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
There’s power in hearing the Word with one’s “inner ear” – with understanding. Folks who desire to be and do right in God’s sight attune their hearts and minds to what God’s Word says to them . . . UNTIL they understand both what was meant and what is meant by what was said. When seeking to understand the Bible, do not ignore context! Focus on principles taught!
Honor was one of those traits Jesus insisted on whether it had to do with heads of state, heads of household or the head of the Church.
About himself He declared, “Let me tell you the truth: I honor my Father, but you dishonor me . . . Now hear this: IF you honor my word by keeping my word, you will never taste of spiritual death.” How powerful is that principle! You honor God . . . God will honor you . . .
The hearers of Ezra’s reading of the Word “stood” out of respect for the Author of the Word! They lifted their hearts and raised their hands upward because the heavens declare the glory of God! They felt so humbled by God giving them His own words to live by, that they knelt in submission to His will and in obedience to His commands. Don’t you know they left that place of worship bent toward doing right – to honor God’s Word by keeping God’s Word! Amen! Amen!
To heed the Word is to be what God wants us to be, and to do what God via His Word tells us to do. Thus, may our prayer be: “Only to be what He wants me to be, every moment of every day. Yielded completely to Jesus alone, every step of this pilgrim way. Just to be clay in the Potter’s Hand, ready to do what His Word commands. Only to be what He wants me to be every moment of every day.”
If enemies of God succeed in turning attention away from things that are higher, things that are nobler, pressuring God’s people to focus instead on things of this world, brainwashing the weak among us into thinking inward and outward rather than upward . . . do not be surprised at the fiery trials that lie ahead.
On the brighter side, if we steadfastly prioritize what God wants us to be and what God tells us in His Word to do - looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith - do not be surprised at the glory that awaits those who in good faith prayed “Thy Will be done” - then in word and in deed sought to do God’s Will. Amen.
