If you're not moving Forward, You're going Backwards

Nehemiah 9:32-38

 

Football coaches say stuff like this all the time. This mantra seems to be ingrained into them as they push their players to become better by continually improving. Urban Meyer was recently quoted as saying, “That’s my job – to push”.

 

Leading up to today’s passage, the Levites recounted how God had been faithful to the Hebrews over the centuries. He was always with them and never let them down. However, with all that the Living God did for them, the Israelites were constantly rebelling. They were as consistently inconsistent as God was consistently faithful.

 

Verse 33 says, “In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly”. Recognizing this, they made yet another promise to God to be faithful to Him.

 

Does that sound familiar to you? It does to me. There have been so many times in my life when I told God, “I’m never going to do that again”, only to turn around and do it again – not just once but over and over. What is it about human nature that does that? More importantly, what can we do to counteract it?

 

In Celebrate Recovery (a Christian twelve-step program at UALC), everyone is encouraged to have a sponsor and/or an accountability partner. That person is there to help push you to improve. But pride keeps us isolated and thinking, “I can do this. I don’t need anyone else”. But we do need others because we can’t change on our own.

 

“Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed”.            James 5:16

 

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  Galatians 6:2

 

“See to it brothers and sisters that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the Living God, but encourage one another daily so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”             Hebrews 3:12-13

 

God is faithful. He is always with us. But we need someone to push us; to hold us accountable. A coach who will push us to be the best that we can be; to grow in our faith; to move us forward towards, and not go backwards from, our Lord Jesus.

 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah%209%3A32-38&version=NIV;TLB

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Neh.9.32-Neh.9.38

 

The Details of Life

2 Corinthians 6

　
　
Do you have missionaries visit your church to share what God is doing through their ministry? That’s basically what Paul is sharing here. "As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way". From this point forward he shares about his hardships in ministry, not to complain, but to validate his ministry and to give God the glory. Can you imagine what it would be like to sit in the congregation and listen to him?

But here’s the thing. We find it hard to relate to Paul. We could sit and listen to him and be amazed, but we’d walk away feeling like that’s good for Paul but not for me. So let’s consider someone else’s testimony - what about Jacob?

Jacob is someone we can relate to. He has lots of character defects. In fact, his name means deception. His testimony might sound like this: "My struggles with my twin brother Esau began in the womb. When I was forty I lied to our father to steal the family blessing. Later in life, after getting married, I worked for my father-in-law and stole the strong flocks leaving him with the weak ones. Yet God has used me in his plan of redemption."

If Jacob’s story doesn’t strike a chord for you how about Peter? "I followed Jesus passionately. I knew that he was the Son of God, the Messiah, and even deserted the family fishing business to follow him. I was there for Jesus’ transfiguration. Jesus often asked for my opinion and even when he didn’t I would give it to him. I didn’t always say or do the right thing, but at least I said and did something. Then following his arrest I denied him. I was so ashamed. Thankfully, he still loved me and forgave me and wanted me to lead his sheep".

God used Jacob, Peter and Paul despite their sinfulness. He also uses you and me. He has called us to ministry, to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ with others. In doing this, Paul suffered greatly. Most likely, you haven’t had to experience anything like Paul did, but we are still called to give everything we have to the Living God.

In sports, coaches challenge their players to leave it all out on the field or court, to give 110%. Paul left it all out on the field. Verse 4 in The Message reads like this, "Our work as God’s servants gets validated -or not- in the details". It’s in the details of our life that God uses us in the lives of others. Let God validate your ministry in the details of your life?

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%206&version=NIV;MSG
http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/2Cor.6