Dear Friends,

We live in one of the most affluent and prosperous countries on earth. We have good careers that enable us to earn a living and support ourselves and our family. Generally, we don’t want for anything, certainly not when compared to the millions and millions of people around the world who fight daily for food, water, shelter and sanitation. Indeed, we are truly blessed because that has been God’s plan for our lives.

But do we really care?

It’s easy to get dragged down by daily frustrations and challenges and demands on our time. It’s normal and natural to feel stress and anxiety. On the flip side, it’s also easy for us to feel complacent especially when things are humming along. 

My message here is not to make you feel convicted for living a strong, healthy, vital life. It’s not to make you question your professional and personal successes.  Rather, it’s to challenge you to examine your life at its deepest core, because, as they say, the unexamined life is not worth living.

What if we, unlike Nehemiah, lived our lives content in our relative wealth and comfort, shunning work, adversity, poverty and unpleasantness? I dare say that we would be like the Romans, worshipping the false gods of worldly possessions and living empty lives without ever really connecting with or caring about others. And I firmly believe that is NOT God’s plan for us!

Yes, He wants us to be happy, healthy, and enjoy life and the fruits of our labor. But those blessings come with some responsibilities, too. He asks us to trust Him and trust in Him, even when we may not see every detail of every step in our journey. Nehemiah took that step out in faith when he went to Jerusalem (a place that was a notch or two or several below his standard of living) to do hard work (which Nehemiah didn’t need to do to earn a living.) Yet, Nehemiah did it because he examined his life, he listened to God’s call, and he trusted in Him. He was compelled to do things he might not have really wanted to do because he was open to listening to God’s plan, for him and for others.

Again… do you really care? Would it make you weep to know that you have not done what God has asked of you? Are you ready to step up and step out in faith by really listening and responding to God’s plan?  Share your story and inspire others.

Blessings,

 

Ron