Friday, September 30, 2022

REBUILDING THE LIVES OF OTHERS

“Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

Nehemiah 2:6-9

Jesus says in Luke 14:28, “For which of you, tending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the costs, whether he has enough to finish it.” We see this “walked out” with Nehemiah. He knows that he has a big job to do, but he counts the costs, not going into a situation foolishly and setting himself up for failure. How many of us make promises to help someone out but yet cannot complete what we promised because of failure to count the costs. Just because God tells us to do something, that does not mean that we check our brain out at the door. We live in a natural world that requires natural resources. Let us be wise and not foolish.

It is obvious that Nehemiah had thought about what this project would cost him, so he was ready to give an answer to the king when asked. Let us be like Nehemiah. Let us count the costs so that God’s work is completed in the way he intended.

PRAYER: Lord, teach me to count the cost. Let me be thoughtful and wise in any promises I make, so that you are glorified. In Jesus’ name, Amen.