Year 5, Day 51: Nehemiah 4

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: In, Up

• Up: Up is the word we use for what we worship.  If we are following God’s will, God will occupy the Up position.  Our life, our identity, our mission, our family on mission is all derived from Up.  This is why God needs to be in our Up position.
• In: This is the word we use to express our relationships with our spiritual family.  These are often the people who hold us spiritually accountable.  They are the ones to whom we typically go for discussion and discernment.  These are the ones with whom we learn to share leadership.  They are the ones with whom we become family on mission.

This is a neat passage for us to see the challenges of ministry.  Anytime we intend to be obedient to God’s calling – that is, to go Out – we should expect resistance.  The typical human being around us will find it easier to criticize our efforts rather than join in the spirit of following God.  It is always easier to tear down someone else than to rise up to the personal challenge God is bringing to our own life through the example of others.  Thus, most people will tear down before they try to build up.

What do we do when we feel this external resistance – especially external critique?  First of all, we must make sure that we are getting our identity from the Father.  That is to say, we must be sure that we are worshipping and following God.    We must be sure that we are being obedient to His calling.  Because if our Up is in the right place, then we can absolutely know that God will give us the guidance and protection that we need for Him to do His will.

Second, we also need our In.  We need a group of people to help us discern.  We need people who can watch our back.  We need people who can pick us up when we are weak.  We need people who are there for us in our moments of doubt, attack, and confusion.  We need people who will come alongside of us when life is tough and walk that road with us.

This is the example that we see in Nehemiah today.  When persecution started, He talked to God.  Then he organized the people around him so that everyone worked with people who could help.  Nehemiah made sure that nobody was isolated in the work of God.  Nehemiah started with his Up and then made sure that everyone had an IN upon whom they could rely.

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