I love the history lesson of day 1. I love that the book of Nehemiah is going to come alive to me, that it will now be more than just a name of one of the books of the Bible. I love knowing that I can now find it quickly nestled between the two "E" books, Ezra and Esther!
Day 01
Nehemiah 1:4
"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."
I love this verse, I love to know that I'm not the only one that weeps! :)
Kelly's questions...
What breaks your heart? Divorce, broken families, poverty
Where could you be more tender? the unsaved-God please help me in this area!
Day 02
"Too often we treat prayer as the preparation for the work of the church. Do you not see? Prayer is the work of the church." O. Chambers
This encouraged me to pray more...I am trying to pray 30 mins a day.
Day 03
I'm excited about the personal response on pg. 22 I made up a daily chart for my family. There are others I want to pray for, but I feel the need to pray for my family.
Monday-Tom
Tuesday-Troy
Wed-Kendra
Thurs-Kurt
Fri-Kelly
Sat.-Tara/Ben
Sun.-me
Day 04
"We may be tempted to think that if we've got the support of the most powerful person in our sphere we're set. Nehemiah knew this wasn't true. He knew he needed the King of the Universe more than the king of Persia"
There are 4 months of waiting and praying between the time of when Nehemiah heard the news and to when he was able to take action!!! How hard it is for us to wait on God!!
"...Not to mention the intimacy of knowing that i am being led by Him, as opposed to taking my best shot at things, hoping He will bless my aim." guilty of doing the underlined!
Day 05
"...the comfortable existence at their (David and Nehemiah's) disposal did not erase the reality that walls had been broken down in Jerusalem or that God's dwelling palace was without a proper temple.
I'm asking God what He has put in my heart.
Day 01
Nehemiah 1:4
"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."
I love this verse, I love to know that I'm not the only one that weeps! :)
Kelly's questions...
What breaks your heart? Divorce, broken families, poverty
Where could you be more tender? the unsaved-God please help me in this area!
"Sometimes the most accomplished people aren't the ones with the most ability but with the most breakable hearts." Do you believe this?
Day 02
"Too often we treat prayer as the preparation for the work of the church. Do you not see? Prayer is the work of the church." O. Chambers
This encouraged me to pray more...I am trying to pray 30 mins a day.
Day 03
I'm excited about the personal response on pg. 22 I made up a daily chart for my family. There are others I want to pray for, but I feel the need to pray for my family.
Monday-Tom
Tuesday-Troy
Wed-Kendra
Thurs-Kurt
Fri-Kelly
Sat.-Tara/Ben
Sun.-me
Day 04
"We may be tempted to think that if we've got the support of the most powerful person in our sphere we're set. Nehemiah knew this wasn't true. He knew he needed the King of the Universe more than the king of Persia"
There are 4 months of waiting and praying between the time of when Nehemiah heard the news and to when he was able to take action!!! How hard it is for us to wait on God!!
"...Not to mention the intimacy of knowing that i am being led by Him, as opposed to taking my best shot at things, hoping He will bless my aim." guilty of doing the underlined!
Day 05
"...the comfortable existence at their (David and Nehemiah's) disposal did not erase the reality that walls had been broken down in Jerusalem or that God's dwelling palace was without a proper temple.
May I suggest that we are living in equally disproportionate days. This is not a truth meant to paralyze us beneath the weight of overwhelming guilt but an urgent call for us to stop and ask the Lord,
"What have YOU put in my heart to do?"
I'm asking God what He has put in my heart.
Day 1:
ReplyDelete"Sometimes the most accomplished people aren't the ones with the most ability but with the most breakable hearts."
So often, especially in American culture, I am lead to believe that I can't do anything of worth if I don't have the ability, personality, etc.
I feel like sometimes I guard my heart so much so that I have this case around my heart so that it can't and won't break. I feel like I am just trying to look out for myself. Even though I interact with a lot of people, there is usually a selfish motive or because it's a "I should... or I have to..." I don't have that broken heart that leads to compassion or passion, but I see people in the church- mostly Mera and Jeremy and Ben- that do. They are a living example of compassion that comes from Christ. And I see that Christ is in them, working through them and I desire that love and connection with Christ that takes me beyond myself.
Day 2:
This was the day that has the most writing in the margins for me. Especially since PRAYER has been a theme for me this week.
"Do you shy away from prayer because of a lack of trust or intimacy with God?" I wrote "God it's hard for me to pray to you because you work in different ways than I would. Sometimes you answer prayers, sometimes you don't (or answer with a no). Sometimes I feel like when you don't answer my prayers, you fail me. I know that's not the truth, but that's how I feel. How can I trust you when I feel like you don't come through? or that there is no consistency?"
Forgive me for basing my trust in you on how I feel.
God of Heaven: We must remind ourselves that we do not serve a human king.... He lives outside of time, beyond our limited strength, and holds all things in his hands.
"I believe my lack of awestruck moments isn't because God is lacking in awesomeness but because I settle for so much less." In both Jeremy's and Kenner's teachings, they highlight the point that our desire for God can often be squelched when we focus on other things of this world. They gave the example of when they eat a snack/junk food at 4 o'clock, then when dinner comes they're not hungry. God is our dinner, our healthy, homecooked meal. The world is the junk food. It may taste good and satisfy you in the moment, but if you feast on the dinner, your body will like you more.
Personal reflection: In closing, which of these 4 is the most meaningful to you right now, and why?
HESED, because it is a lasting, loyal love; it's what I long to believe in, to trust, to find comfort. I'm on the brink of truly experiencing his vast love for me. God wants to show that to me, but there is something that keeps me from that. Perhaps it's my doubt- can hesed truly exist?
Day 3: "If we view our sin as a minor infringement we will view God's forgiveness with equal mediocrity."
ReplyDeleteOver the last few days, this has stuck with me. I know that I turn my focus from my sin so that way I don't have to deal with it. I know the enemy tries to help me validate my life; saying that I don't do all the "bad things" so I am a pretty good person and don't sin that much. On the other hand, it's hard for me to stop and be honest about my faults and where I am lacking. Naming my sins, the multitude of them, is no easy task. I want to take the easy way out- just follow the rules, the do's and don'ts and that will be good enough for my christian walk. (Obviously, that's not the correct thinking).
The people I need to focus on praying for: Carly, my mom, Kendra, Kelly, Stevi, Olivia
Day 4:
What are you afraid of?
In regards to sharing the gospel... What would I say? I am not knowledgeable when it comes to doctrine or different theological views. I 'm not good at "selling" the gospel or convincing someone that living a life for Christ is the way to go. How do I respond when they ask "why?" I am afraid of misrepresenting Christ.
It's hard to pray for the same thing for so long. I expect quick results and often five up after a little while, figuring God answered no.
Day 5:
"Their hearts were so taken up with God's that they prayed and planned and dreamed about how they could quench the need that so troubled their souls." I like that it highlights those 3 things.
"The grace of God as the catalyst behind their longing to give."
One of my longings is to start an art studio. It may actually be able to happen at the church. I'll have to tell you more about my ideas...