Training Pastors Worldwide

Two passages have helped me in the past in deciding how to best work for the kingdom of God.

Nehemiah, “But their nobles would not stop to serve their Lord.” Nehemiah 3:5. Really? They thought it was beneath them to help rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. This thought should be measured against 2 Corinthians 8:9. Where would we be if Jesus hadn’t stooped? Anyone who has tasted of his kindness should be willing to clean toilets, scrub floors, even be sawn in two, Hebrews 11:32-38. If there is something to do, quit talking, deciding, contemplating, seeing if someone else will step to the plate. My favorite all time lame excuse – it doesn’t fit my gift mix. Stop it!! Serve.

The other passage is in the song of Deborah, Judges 5:15-17. The call was sent out to fight and the clan of Reuben thought about it deeply, “great searchings of heart.” Reuben talked about it, thought about it, prayed over it possibly, etc. etc. etc., but there was never any action. May we stop deciding and talking about evangelism, hospitality, reading our Bibles, helping in the AWANA program, memorizing, praying, and just do something!

Psalm 11:3, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” That’s a question. What can we do when all seems to be going awry? When the wicked prosper and hate righteousness. When lies abound. You can fill in the blank for your life. What are the righteous to do? Keep reading. That’s the short answer. Keep reading. The answer cometh.

Dr. Feinberg, my friend, and OT professor, was fond of saying, “When the Bible doesn’t seem to make sense, just keep reading.”

It doesn’t make sense that we are left to bemoan the situation, foundations gone, now what? Cry? No!! Keep reading. Psalm 11:4, “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.” His eyelids! He doesn’t even need eyes to test and know them thoroughly and hate them. “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” God. He is God so we don’t have to be. Pretty great! There’s more in this Psalm. Just keep reading.

“On your walls, O Jerusalem I have set watchmen

All the day and all the night they shall never be silent

You who put the Lord in remembrance take no rest

And give him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” Isaiah 62:6-7

God puts those who pray on the walls of Jerusalem to pray continually.

To put God in remembrance and to give Him no rest. Until He brings blessing to His city.

This reminds me of Luke 18 and persistent widow, and the friend who comes at midnight in Luke 11.

Nothing fancy to interpret here. Pray. Pray continually. Put God in remembrance knowing that if you are praying, he has appointed you to do so.

Ever since I became aware of our corporate American addiction to outrage and tribalism, coupled with a lack of listening skills, my ears perk up when anything helpful appears. Our hubris about our opinions is a hard topic to address successfully. How do you convince someone to listen who believes that there is no more evidence to consider? The newsletter from CT helps. You may want to skip down to the article about queuing, but the whole thing is worth reading.

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