Nehemiah 7:64-65 “64 These searched among their ancestral registration, but it could not be located; therefore, they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood. 65 The governor said to them that they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest arose with Urim and Thummim.”

GOD’S NOT MEAN

If you read these verses without knowing the reason you would think Nehemiah was being prejudiced or discriminatory.  In today’s society he would probably be sued by these individuals, and they would win a million dollars.  That’s now and not then.

God had delegated one tribe to serve as priests – the Levites.  It was imperative that only these serve in that capacity, and that they serve exactly how God prescribed.  Until these people could prove their lineage they could not be allowed to serve in the Temple.  The reason Israel and Judah had been sent into exile in the first place was their disobedience to God’s order.  Nehemiah wasn’t going to repeat that.

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children must learn that there are certain guidelines which God sets, and they must follow, if they want to be obedient to Him.  Today everything is gray.  There is no black and white.  The “line in the sand” keeps getting moved.  The world will tell them “right” is relative.  No!  It’s not.

As we parent our children they are going to feel we are being unfair when we enforce our rules and God’s Word.  That’s okay. Structure and order is important. Disorder is not of the Lord.  Now, the Lord isn’t OCD, but He does have lines drawn to keep us safe.  Listen to Him.

Are you standing on the edge of the line right now pushing the limits?  Are you seeing just how far you can go without falling? Back up.  Take another look at the order of God’s Word and thank Him for it. All His commands are for your protection.

O Heavenly Father, I know sometimes I complain about having to follow Your rules.  But I want to thank You today for keeping me in line.  Thank You for giving us all order in our lives.

 Nehemiah 5:19 “Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.”

 YOU GOTTA KNOW HIS HEART

 If you just pulled this verse out of context you would think Nehemiah was being proud and beating his own chest.  Nothing could have been further from the truth. He had sacrificed and refused any payment to come and get Jerusalem rebuilt.  His heart was heavy for those he was serving.  He didn’t ask anyone to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself.

Sometimes God places us in positions of leadership to simply lead by example.  Often the people we are leading are hard-headed and stubborn.  Many times they are ungrateful.  Some are even resentful.  I am sure Nehemiah encountered all of the above.  But he just kept serving his God.

TEACHING MOMENT

One of our jobs as parents is to prepare our children to lead.  Boys need to be taught to lead so they can lead their homes when they grow up.  They may lead a company.  They may even lead a nation.  Our little girls will need to learn to lead also.  God may place them in a position of prestige and power. Learning to lead humbly and with a servant’s heart is key.

We don’t know how God is going to use our children.  I bet Nehemiah’s mother and father never imagined their son, the cupbearer, would be governor of Judah.  We raise them, prepare them and turn them over to the Lord.

Where has God placed you right now to lead?  Who are you leading?  Why are you leading?  We all lead someone, in one way or the other.  Make your leadership count.  Lead Godward.

Lord, thank You for giving me the opportunity to lead others.  Keep my heart broken and my spirit dependent on You.  Let me model Jesus’ attitude of leading to everyone I lead.

Nehemiah 2:4 “Then the king said to me, ‘What would you request?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven.”

BREVITY OF PRAYER

 When I read this verse the first thing that popped into my head was – this was a short prayer.  I am sure when the king asked Nehemiah this question he didn’t get down on his knees and pray for 30 minutes before answering.

Short prayers are fine.  Why? They are fine when they are part of a lifestyle of praying.  Nehemiah had already been praying for a moment like this.  I bet his prayer went something like this.  “Lord, give me the words to say right now.”  Short and sweet! He would trust the Lord to do as he had asked because he asked to glorify Him.

TEACHING MOMENT

Sometimes our children will pray through this long list of things at night.  I know some children who will start all over if they get something out of order in their nightly prayers.  There is nothing wrong with long prayers just as there is nothing wrong with short prayers.  They just have to be real prayers.

Our prayers should be always prayed according to His will.  They should always be prayed in faith.  They should focus more on others than ourselves, even though God wants to hear our requests for ourselves too.  Just pray with your children.  Let them hear you pray.

When is the last time you have “shot up” a short prayer in a moment of desperation? How about a quickie prayer on the run? Dedicate yourself to prayer.  Let it course through your life like a flowing river.

O Lord, there is nothing quite as sweet as time with You.  Help me to be more obedient in my prayer life.  Let me be a model of prayer to others.

 Ezra 8:22 “For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, ‘The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.’”

 ACT UPON YOUR PRAYERS

 Ezra gathered all those returning to Jerusalem to pray and fast and to ask for safety as they traveled. Why?  As the verse says he had refused to ask for an armed escort from the king.  Ezra believed if you say you believe something, you should act like it.

He, obviously, could have asked for and received that escort.  But Ezra was not only acting on his faith.  He was leading the others to act upon theirs.  Never forget that others are watching you live out your faith.  They are watching to see if you truly believe the Bible you claim to believe.

TEACHING MOMENT

Oh, how true this is for your kids. Their faith is built when they are young by watching you.  When you pray for the Lord to intervene in a situation, live like it.  When you believe God for something, talk like you believe it.  If you pray and then go on and do the opposite or continue to worry and fret, that teaches the wrong lesson.

As our children grow we have the opportunity to watch them trust God.  They will undoubtedly come back to you for advice.  Take them to the Word.  It is the only source for the truth.  Help them believe.  Yes, that is what I said.  Help them trust.  Pray with them that God will give them those “trust moments” when only He can do what they have asked.

Of course, it is paramount that we ask according to His will.  Have you prayed that way?  Or are you praying for your list of desires without any thought of how this glorifies Him? Surrender your will for His and watch Him show up and do incredible things in and through you.

Lord, You are the One I trust with my life.  You are the Only One who can lead me in the dark valleys.  Help me trust You more fully each day.

 Ezra 6:8 “‘Moreover, I issue a decree concerning what you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the River, and that without delay.’” 

 TAKE THAT!

Twice the enemies of Judah who were living in the land tried to stop the rebuilding of the Temple which Cyrus had allowed the Jews to do. Once they were successful in halting the construction.  But here King Darius responds to their accusations and rules in favor of the Jews.

But he doesn’t just stop there.  He says, “Your tax money will pay for it.”  I would have loved to have seen their faces when they got this letter.  I bet they could have chewed nails.  You see, going against God’s people just isn’t smart.

TEACHING MOMENT

Children love to get back at each other.  They love to point out when someone else is doing wrong.  Some children just like seeing others get into trouble. We must teach them to stand for what is right, but they shouldn’t try to “nail” other people.  They need to make sure they have the whole story.

Little Susie might not like that girl in her class who is popular. Johnny might not like that guy who wins all the awards.  As long as others are living for the Lord and are being blessed we need to be joyous with them.  Those who are living for Jesus deserve our praise and support, not our ridicule.

Who are you jealous of today?  Come on, nobody?  Ask yourself why you are jealous.  That kind of jealousy is NOT of God.  The Word says that brings disorder and every evil thing.  Give it up.  Rejoice is how the Lord has blessed you instead.

You are my resting place, O Lord.  Help me remember today that my contentment is in You.  No matter what anyone else has or does, I rest in You.

 Psalm 112:1 “Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments.”

SOUNDS KIND OF WRONG

 Do you want to be blessed?  I mean, come on, who doesn’t, right?  Well, the Word says plainly here in this verse to fear the Lord and delight in His commandments.  If you just read those words casually, you would think the writer was crazy.  Fear and delight?  Those words are not normally used in the same sentence.

To the unbeliever it doesn’t make sense.  Why should we fear the Lord?  Well, it’s not fear, as in being scared of Him.  It’s a reverence, an awe, a worshipful respect.  And who delights in commands?  Believers do because we know by obeying we are in His care.

TEACHING MOMENT

Teaching our children to “fear” the Lord and “delight” in His commands is best done by immersing them in the Word.  It’s best modeled by you, Mom and Dad.  When they see you eating and drinking the Word every day, they will want it too. When they see you honoring and respecting the Lord and the things of the Lord, they will learn to do that also.

Show them how they are blessed when they “fear” you and follow your commands.  Kids are literal and understand concrete thoughts.  Reward them abundantly by obeying on their own.  When they do something out of respect for you, bless them in some way.  And make sure they understand they didn’t “earn” the blessing.  You blessed them simply because you love them and delight in them, just like their heavenly Father.

Are you in awe of your Father?  Are you delighting in His commands for you?  Choose this day to do those things.  Choose this day to walk with Him and watch Him bless your socks off.  I don’t mean in a physical way (He could if He wanted to though).  I mean in the love you will feel as you please Him.

Lord, thank You for blessing me.  Thank You for Your Word which guides me.  I honor and stand in awe of Who You are.

 2 Kings 6:16 “So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’” 

GOD’S ARMY

When the king of Aram learned it was Elisha who was disclosing all his plans against Israel, he sent his army to capture him.  I just love Elisha’s servant’s response.  He was alarmed and scared when he woke the next morning to see them surrounded.  But when he tells Elisha, Elisha just keeps on eating his eggs and bacon and drinking his coffee (just kidding about the bacon).

What does Elisha say to his servant?  “God’s got this!”  Then he prayed for the Lord to open his servant’s eyes so he could also see the army of God that was protecting them.  God still has that army.  None of them have retired.  None of them have refused to serve.

TEACHING MOMENT

When your children are scared at night of the “boogie man” read them this story. Reassure them that the same God who protected Elisha protects them.  In fact, as believers we have it better than Elisha because we have the very presence of God living within us through the Holy Spirit.  Wow!

Now, we should never pick a fight with the devil or those who desire to do us harm. But we can be reassured that the Lord is with us.  God will always defend His children.  Our children can best learn to trust that as we show them we trust that.  We can’t be wringing our hands and pacing the floor. We have to “open their eyes” to see God’s chariots.

Are you blinded today?  Can you not see the army of heaven defending you?  Do you not believe He is more powerful than any other power on earth or heaven?  He is. Stay in His will and watch Him work. It is pretty amazing.

Father in heaven, open my eyes today to see Your army surrounding me.  Open my eyes of faith.  Help me show others how powerful You are.

 2 Kings 21:7 “Then he set the carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the Lord said to David and to his son Solomon, ‘In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever.’” 

THE TEMPLE OF GOD

Continue reading →

 2 Kings 20:11 “Isaiah the prophet cried to the Lord, and He brought the shadow on the stairway back ten steps by which it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.”

IT IS ALL GOD’S TIME

 I don’t know about you, but I hate time change.  In the U.S. we have Standard time and Daylight Savings time.  We “fall back” an hour in the Fall and we “spring forward” an hour in the Spring.  I would prefer if we just left it alone.  But that’s just my opinion.

Hezekiah wanted a sign he would be healed so he was given a choice.  The sun’s shadow would be moved forward or backwards on the steps based on his wish.  He chose to get 10 minutes back, so it went backwards.  10 extra minutes in time – forever.

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children have to learn the concept of time.  When they are young they don’t have to worry about it a lot.  Everything they do and everywhere they go is determined by parents.  But sooner or later they have to learn about time.  Being on time is a courtesy and a great trait.  As parents we teach them this.

But the more important concept of time is eternity.  Little Gertrude, Elrod, Johnny or Susie must be taught about eternity. We will all spend eternity somewhere. God’s eternal clock is ticking. Christ is one day closer to His return each day.  Mom and Dad, make sure your child understands the finality of eternity.  Time matters.  Spend it wisely on your children.

Are you “wasting time”?  Are you so busy with frivolous things that you forget how precious little time you have in the eyes of eternity?  Make every day count.  Make every hour count.  God may prolong your days, as He did Hezekiah.  Or He could call you home today.  Be ready.  Be ON TIME!

God, You are the maker of time.  I know you see all of eternity at once, and You know my end day.  Give me the ability to see each day as You see it – precious and important.

2 Kings 15:1-2 “1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.” 

EVEN A LEPER CAN RULE

 King Azariah (Uzziah) was the longest ruling king of Judah or Israel.  He was a good king.  He followed the Lord, or at least tried to.  He began his reign at 16!  Wow! And he reigned 52 years.  But the verses go on to say the Lord struck him with leprosy.  We don’t know exactly when that happened, but it must have been later in his reign because his son ruled in his placed and eventually took over when he was 25.

Why am I recounting all of this?  Just to show you that God can use anyone who is willing to be used.  He took a teenage boy who became leprous and made him the longest ruling king of the nation. God can use anyone, anytime, anywhere, any how He chooses.  We just have to be willing.

TEACHING MOMENT

Many parents tell their kids, “You can be anything you want to be when you grow up.”  I understand the sentiment and respect their desires for their children, but that is just not true.  A short child will most likely not succeed in the NBA.  LOL.

Instead, we should be telling them, “Johnny, we need to pray that the Lord shows you what He has for you to do to honor Him.” That’s the most important thing. So, whether he is a banker, soldier or astronaut, he can honor God.  Push them to excel, not for self, but for God.  Give them opportunities to thrive, not for you, but for the glory of the Lord.

Do you know what the Lord has called you to do? So many of us are still seeking that. Ask Him.  He doesn’t want to hide this from you.  He is preparing you every step of the way to be His instrument in His master plan for mankind.

Open my eyes, Lord, to what You have for me.  Let me see the opportunities plainly.  Help me point others to Your plan for their lives.