As we conclude our study of the tenth chapter of Nehemiah, we've learned that to experience spiritual renewal, we need to make practical applications of God's Word to our lives. We need to make personal commitments to obey His Word.
The commitments that the people made in our chapter were very specific ones. We can do that, too. For example, we may tell ourselves, "I need to be more faithful in my giving."
That's good -- in fact, it's admirable -- but we need to keep it from being so general. Let's make it more specific . . . what if we say, "I really need to work on the budget and commit to a specific amount to give each month (or week, etc)."
That's getting better!
But what if we say, "I'm going to sit down on Monday evening and work on our family budget so that we can fine-tune our giving to the Lord's work."
Now, that is specific, and if we follow through by putting it on our calendar, we are certainly going to make progress on this commitment to God.
Secondly, write it down! We saw that the Jewish people put this agreement in writing. They even spelled out the details on their commitments. It's not a bad idea for us to write down our spiritual priorities and our goals. Then take them one at a time, and write out the steps we will need to take in order to reach our goals.
Thirdly, we should spend some time periodically to evaluate how we are doing. Set the time however you would like. Some people may want to check things out each month, and others might set a once-every-six-months schedule. Whatever timing we choose, it's a positive thing to look at how we are progressing, and if things are not moving forward like we wish, spend some time in reflection and prayer, in order to start again.
This chapter has taught us that the key to spiritual revival is to apply the truth of God's Word to our lives in personal and specific ways.
To close this part of our study, I'd like to pose a discussion question: how does the law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:6-7) fit in with the concept of God's grace?
If you have some thoughts on this, I hope you will leave a comment. We have had some really good discussions here, and I believe that our comments can help others who pause here to read or study.
I look forward to reading what you think about that question!
We are sinners saved by grace. So when we are under God’s grace, our sins are covered by Christ’s blood and therefore are not held against us. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t still have consequences to ourselves, our relationships and our witness to others. So when, not if but when, we sin we sow the consequences of whatever that sin may be. And perhaps the greatest thing we reap from that sin is a certain degree of separation between us and our relationship with the Lord. Not that He leaves us, He’s promised that He will never do that. But our feelings of guilt can drive a wedge in us.
ReplyDeleteI was interested in comments for certain. I have't formed mine as yet but I will.
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