Stay on the Wall

God has entrusted to His followers the good work of His kingdom. I often share at Refuge Church that our mission is to display and declare the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far.

What greater work is there in the world?

This work is both our joy and honor to be participants with God in fulfilling.

Like Nehemiah, who passionately pursued the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the restoration of Israel as a city of light to the nations, the church is to be a people allowing God to make us a city of light, set on a hill, shining the light of God's glory and gospel to the world.

This work, however, is not easy for this work takes place in a work of brokenness, fatigue, and opposition. Nehemiah and the men who worked to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem faced it all.

Threatened with invasion and death by enemy armies, the men worked for weeks moving rubble and rebuilding the walls. In the midst of this, they were taunted and derided for their work by their opponents, while their family and loved ones begged them to leave the work and come home. Amazingly, though, none left. They all remained on the wall!

There are in life a few works in life that are so precious as to never abandon for any reason. Following Jesus in the pursuit of Him and the advance of His kingdom ranks first.

Of course there will be moments when you are opposed in the work of the kingdom. You will be belittled for following Jesus and perhaps persecuted or put to death. Sharing the gospel may not receive and warm reception. Serving the needs of the city may come under suspicion or lead to our being pushed away. The response of others changes not the importance or urgency of the work.

Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to stay on the wall. Paul said, "Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vein" (1 Corinthians 15:58). At another time, Paul reminded us that reaping comes to the faithful who do not give up or grow weary in the good work of God's kingdom.

Are you still on the wall?

Take a Daniel moment:
1.  Give thanks to the wonderful gift of Christ to be part of His salvation.
2.  Celebrate God's calling us into the work of His kingdom.
3.  Pray for strength amidst adversity and opposition, fatigue and personal struggle.
4.  Ask God to make clear where your place on the wall is and ask His help to see it through.

Even in This

I confess, as embarrassing as it may be, that there have been difficulties in my life that drove me away from God. My prayer life went silent like a dropped cellphone call. The dust collected on the cover of my Bible between Sundays as I would not open it. I did not speak of God unless necessary.

What had happened in my life is what happens to others. My difficulties turned me against God. I had concluded that God was responsible for my difficulty and I didn't want anything to do with Him anymore. Even more tragic, I concluded that I didn't deserve the difficulties that God had thrust upon me. I let my hardships turn me against the only person who could comfort, strengthen, encourage, and see me through whatever situations I faced.

There were definitely times that the hardships and struggles were not of my own doing. Either because of sin in general that has broken the world or the specific sin of an individual in my life, I faced hard times as a result. This, however, was not always the case. 

My immaturity didn't always allow me to see that some of the hard times came as a result or consequence of my own doing. I blamed God for what I had brought upon myself. I expected God to allow me to do what I desired without any issue, even if it ran contrary to His will and purpose.  

Regardless of when and how the hard times came, I found myself responding to God as if He had done something wrong. No matter if it was a consequence of my own disobedience or the difficulties that affected me from another person's struggles and life, I usually responded as though I thought the Christian life should not be riddled with such things. And tragically my worship of the Creator God who had rescued me out of the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light just went cold.  Even now, there must be a constant guard against allowing the circumstances of life to create such a travesty.

As I continue reading through the life and reign of David, king of Israel, I read of David's actions after confronted about his adultery with Bathsheeba. He did repent and seek God's grace and mercy. But then God told David that a consequence for his act of disobedience was that the child born through this act of adultery would not live. Instead of running from God, David ran to God. He fasted and prayed. He laid on the ground in sackcloth through the nights and he would eat nothing.

God did strike the child with illness and he died.  When David asked the attendants told David the baby had died, he got up off the ground, washed and changed his clothes. It is hat he did next that convicted me. 

He went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. 

This is not how I often respond when things don't go as I planned or when I believe or know God to have done contrary to what I wanted or asked. But it is a great challenge to me that in whatever I face I would worship Christ my King because He is worthy.  

The circumstances of our lives do not change the worth of God. When the difficulties of my life keep me from worshipping God, it isn't that God has changed. He remains the same forever. There is no way to improve upon perfection and God is perfect.

Is there anything keeping you from worshipping God today?

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Adore God for who He is, what He does, and the character with which He does it.

2.  Celebrate that God never changes though everything else may change.

3.  Repent of any known sin. Ask God to reveal any hidden sin.

4.  Acknowledge any sin or circumstance that has hindered your worship of God.

5.  Spend time worshipping Him.