Does God care about your work?

Today: Nehemiah 4-6

Does God care about your work?

If I asked different people, I'd get different answers to that question. I think today's passage illustrates that God does care about our work and more importantly, our attitudes about our work. Take a look at this part of the passage:

We kept at it,

repairing and rebuilding the wall.

The whole wall was soon joined together

and halfway to its intended height

because the people had a heart for the work.

I love that the people came together to build a wall (not exactly spirtitual). Their work was better because their hearts got behind it...but something else was behind it, too. Let's review this section:

The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul.

It had taken fifty-two days.

When all our enemies heard the news

and all the surrounding nations saw it,

our enemies totally lost their nerve.

They knew that God was behind this work.

Not only does this passage show that God cares about our attitudes toward our work--it shows that He cares about the work itself. God can get behind our work (or not).

What's your attitude toward your work? Do you think God is behind what you do every day?

Tomorrow: Nehemiah 7

So what do you want?

Today: Nehemiah 1-3

If you were standing in front of a king who said, "So what do you want?", what would you say?

Nehemiah had an answer ready. He knew exactly what he wanted, he thought through timelines and anticipated what was needed to accomplish his vision (which was ultimately, God's vision).

It was interesting to look at today's passage because I think many people wish someone (a banker? a boss? God?) would ask them, "So what do you want?" However, most people (myself included at times!) haven't really thought through the answers. They might want a quick escape, but the hard work of actually thinking, working and seeing something through? Not so much.

God's definitely not a genie, but here's the thing: He actually wants to know what you and I want (see Matthew 7:7). Ideally, what we want would align with what He wants (see Jesus' example in Luke 22:42). However, often we haven't thought about what God wants, what we want and the different ways those ideals could actually become reality. (Was that a major tongue twister or what?)

I like Nehemiah. He was gutsy planner (often those two attributes don't come together!). I think it will be interesting to read his story again. He's already inspiring me to think and pray more about what God wants, what I want and how they might come together and actually happen.

Tomorrow: Nehemiah 4-6

God (still) with us

Today: Ezra 8-10

"Where is God now?"

It's a common question people ask when they go through hard times. In today's passage, I thought the perspectives of God's people were interesting here:

We were slaves;

yet even as slaves,

our God didn't abandon us.

This view of God--that He is present with us even through suffering--is not an easy view to have. But that doesn't mean it's not true.

In the New Testament, Jesus is known as Immanuel--God with us. If God is with us, it means He's always with us, that He's still with us when we are in trouble. It's pretty amazing that God's people could sense His presence, help and guidance while they were literally enslaved. Wow. God's still with His people no matter what.

Tomorrow: Nehemiah 1-3

God-backed security

Today: Ezra 4-7

Probably because of the Great Recession, I've noticed lately that there are lots of ads for banks and financial institutions that talk about security. These companies continually talk about how your finances can be "backed by the FDIC", "insured", "guaranteed" and "safe."

It's all right to have security backed by a bank or the U.S. government--but the best kind of security is God-backed security. I love that when God REALLY gets behind something or someone, it's clear. Sometimes when I have big stuff in front of me, I'll pray simply, "God, make it obvious." And so far, He has.

In today's passage, God's backing was crystal clear: He wanted His people to rebuild His House. Not only did He get them out of captivity to do so, their captors provided HUGE financial resources to make the work possible. Take a look at Ezra's words here:

Blessed be God, the God-of-Our-Fathers,

who put it in the mind of the king

to beautify The Temple of God in Jerusalem!

Not only that, he caused

the king and all his advisors and influential officials

actually to like me and back me.

My God was on my side and I was ready to go.

And I organized all the leaders of Israel to go with me.

You can tell by Ezra's words here that he was a little dumbfounded at God's orchestration of events. God-backed security is like that sometimes--it's so over-the-top amazing that it seems "too good to be true"--but it is!

If you're reading this, I'd love to encourage you with a few things:

• Ask God for wisdom, so that you can make decisions aligned with His backing.
  
• The "God, make it obvious" prayer is a good one, but it's not for the faint of heart--you have to be willing to let doors slam shut in your face occasionally. On the flip side, you also have to be willing to look for the open doors, sometimes in unexpected places.
  
• Ask God for His backing. He wants to help us, but sometimes we just forget to ask.
  

Tomorrow: Ezra 8-10

Rebuilding

Today: Ezra 1-3

When I hear the word "rubble," I think of The Flinstones. :)

But if I were one of God's people at the time today's passage was written, Barney and Wilma wouldn't come to mind. I'd picture the Temple of God and my beloved country--ravaged, forsaken and left in rubble.

One thing I know for sure about God? He doesn't like to leave things or people in shambles. In today's chapters, the people of Judah were actually sent back to rebuild their homes and God's House.

It's an interesting passage to read on Easter weekend. To be honest, there are a lot of people on this planet whose lives resemble piles of rubble. Some people feel like Humpty Dumpty--they believe that their lives are so broken that they can't be put back together again. Others don't see their brokenness, but that doesn't mean they're whole--piles of rubble might be all around them.

The good news is that God is a great rebuilder (He'd probably be REALLY good at puzzles, too!). He is able to take lives resembling piles of rubble and turn them into inside-out beautiful works of art. God heals the broken and He brings the dead to life.

What can He build in you? What can he resurrect in someone you care about?

I am forever grateful that God continually builds, shapes and molds me. I'm still a work in progress--but I'm thankful to be taken from the rubble and rebuilt. Happy Easter!

Tomorrow: Ezra 4-7

Passover Lamb

Today: 2 Chronicles 35-36

"It's Friday. It's good. Thank God."

This is my current Facebook status update...which has multiple meanings. For one thing, I pretty much love every Friday. And every day (yeah, even a Monday!) is a day to thank God. But today is also Good Friday--a very significant day on the calendar that marks a very significant day in history.

In some ways, it's odd that today is called Good Friday because if you know the story, it seems...well, sad. An innocent God-man died a brutal, unjust death for people who didn't deserve it--people like me.

It's interesting that today's passage includes a description of a Passover celebration (despite the fact that our reading program was "randomly" selected based on an Internet site!). To the people of Israel, Passover was a celebration--it's a holiday that marks the miraculous fact that God saved His people from death and destruction.

In today's passage, thousands of lambs were sacrificed to pay the price for peoples' sins. What makes today Good Friday? You and I don't have to kill thousands of lambs to pay for our sins...because one perfect Lamb of God already paid the ultimate price. It's Good Friday because Jesus loved me and you that much. It's Good Friday because we got the best and biggest gift of all time. It's Good Friday because unlike the people in today's passage, you and I don't have to go through ceremonies and priests to talk to God--we can have direct communication with Him. It's Good Friday because we serve a God who knows what it's like to face pain and suffering as a human being. What other god or religion believes in a God who actually understands, empathizes and relates to our human experience?

It's Good Friday. Thank God. We've got A LOT to be thankful for.

Tomorrow: Ezra 1-3

The "worst kind" of sin...and the best forgiveness

Today: 2 Chronicles 32-34

If you were to picture the "worst kind" of evil...or the most evil person...what would you picture?
A guy who purposely burned his own sons to death in a fire might fit the bill. Today's chapters describe such a man, King Manasseh of Judah. Manasseh was corrupt--he lead the people of Judah to worship idols, he practiced witchcraft and he set up a carving of a sex goddess in the middle of God's Temple.

Manasseh was a pretty messed up guy. And then one day, he made a turn-around. Manasseh was captured and taken off to Babylon. Here's what happened:

Now that he was in trouble,

he went to his knees in prayer asking for help—

total repentance before the God of his ancestors.

As he prayed, God was touched;

God listened and brought him back to Jerusalem as king.

That convinced Manasseh that God was in control.

Wow. Is God's forgiveness amazing or what?!?

Here's an interesting thing about sin: In God's opinion, there's no such thing as the "worst kind." Sin is sin. And all of us sin (see Romans 3:22-24). Some sins have bigger real-world consequences (e.g. you'll probably go to jail for a murder, but not for a lie), but any sin can separate us from God...in the worst case scenario, forever.

But as we approach Easter weekend, this passage reminded me of the amazing power of God's love, grace and compassion. When we ask for forgiveness, He gives it. When we believe that Jesus paid the price for our (past, present and future) sins, God sees us just as if we never sinned. That's the best kind of forgiveness possible.

Tomorrow: 2 Chronicles 35-36