SUMMARY: Selfless
OVERVIEW: Nehemiah put the people and the project ahead of selfish gain.
BIG IDEA: Faithfully serve and do not take advantage of your position.
KEY VERSE: Nehemiah 5:16 (Nehemiah distinguishes himself from other leaders)
I also devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my servants to spend time working on the wall.
IF GOD WROTE YOU A LETTER
I will give you opportunities to serve and to lead. They will allow you to bless others and invest in my kingdom. Don’t do them to get ahead—do them because it’s the right thing to do. If you are leveraging your task as a means to manipulate others or for personal gain, you are missing an opportunity for me to bless you. Instead, serve with joy and excellence. Find fulfillment in encouraging others and in doing a job with excellence.
Temptation will attempt to lure you away but look to me instead. Whatever prosperity you can imagine through networking or having the “right people” see you, it pales in comparison to what I can do for you. I need you to find contentment in me and me alone. I want you to be satisfied with my blessing for faithful service. I may choose to lift you up, or I may not. But there is joy and fulfillment in whatever I have for you. Seek me, trust me, and rest in me.
NEXT STEP
Be a servant today. Focus on the task God has called you to do, and do it wholeheartedly and selflessly. Ask God to search your heart and to remove any selfish ambition.
LYRIC VIDEO
BONUS VIDEO