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I’m so glad you’re joining us today as we start our journey of “Finishing Well”. I trust Easter was an incredible celebration at each of your churches. May God continue a “rippling effect” on all that happened this past weekend! Let me say, “welcome, aboard”, as we begin our devotional ministry this week! If we want to “Finish Well”, we’ll need to begin by “Following Well”.The passage we begin with is Nehemiah 8. This chapter is a “victory lap” for God’s people after rebuilding the walls in Jerusalem. It began with Nehemiah grieving in chapter 1 at the devastated of Jerusalem. He prayed for guidance, approached the King for help, & received an incredible amount of provision & protection. He then strategically led the people in a huge project that called for team spirit, multi-tasking, & a lot of “skin in the game”. Nehemiah expressed the burden on his heart with tears & prayers at God’s prompting. Now his heart longs for what God had next after the walls were rebuilt in a record time of 52 days. Join me in a “play-by-play” of what happens next…..and might be our 1st step in “following before finishing well”… Nehemiah 8:1-6… The people are settling in their towns, but decide to have a unifying rally at the Jerusalem “town square”. Ezra is asked to read from Moses and the “Book of the Law”. On October 8th Ezra rises to the occasion of addressing all the men, women & children who were old enough to understand. He reads aloud standing on a platform & they listen closely from early morning til noon. He does this with over a dozen men surrounding him on both sides. (Even TD Jakes doesn’t even have that kind of support every weekend!) There’s no hiding, as Ezra preaches in full view of all the people. Now how all the seats could be good in the house, I have no idea, but the Bible says the sightlines were incredible & they’re all dialed in on “every Word of God“ that Ezra says! And get this…..they all STAND up….and they STAY up while he reads from the Bible! Then Ezra praises the Almighty God in a powerful way & the people heartily respond with loud & proud “Amen’s” with their hands lifted high! Then they express their worship by bowing with their faces to the ground before the Lord. OK….now that’s a holy moment! These people haven’t heard the Word of the Lord in a really long time…& this morning they heard it like never before! They hear it on their feet…they hear it all together….and they hear it after a major milestone project has been finished that most thought could never be accomplished! The walls were rebuilt with God’s provision, the people’s help, and certainly under the leadership of Nehemiah. God’s people now have a respectable place to come home to after years of being away from one another in exile! And what does Nehemiah do for the first thing after the project is completed? He makes sure the Word of the Lord is read loud and clear! Our focus this week is the word ELEVATION. If we’re going to finish well, we’ve got to start by following well, and that begins with the ELEVATION of the Word of God! So how can we do that? A morning at a time, a day at a time, and a verse at a time. Just like we live our lives…..a breath at a time, and a heartbeat at a time. I want to challenge you today to live the rest of your life committed to the ELEVATION of God’s Word. We live in a culture that was once openly said, “In God We Trust”, but now has a diminished respect for the Creator of all life, & we need to once again know, quote & encourage one another with the Word of God. Paul says in Rom 1:16, it is the “power of God unto salvation”. Nehemiah knew that it wouldn’t matter if the “walls of the city” were rebuilt, unless the “Word of God” was embraced once again as the protection of the people’s minds & hearts. So how can we do that this week? Let’s keep it simple for you & me both! As we launch this first week after a powerful Easter at all of your congregations, I want our ministry to “supplement” what God is doing in you alongside your local church, never to “compete” with it. So let me suggest if we’re going to commit to the ELEVATION of God’s Word in our lives, this week, we’ll need to focus on some more passages that ACCENTUATE the “power and practicality” of His Word, like some of these passages….. Amos 8:11 ‘The time is surely coming’, says the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.’ May we, like Amos, notice that need in our culture, and like Nehemiah, do all we can to elevate God’s Word in our hearts, families & friends! Deuteronomy 8:1-3 & Matthew 4:1-)…”man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” These were God’s words to Moses to tell the Hebrew nation as well as Jesus’ confrontation to the devil during His temptation. The best defense against temptation is quoting Scripture! Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.” (NLT) Whoa…now that passage spells it out plainly. The Bible uses “hyperbole” (a literary term for exaggeration to make a point), and this gives an image of God’s word penetrating to the center of the bones. And a final passage of “elevation….. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NIV) Now, this a killer passage. It’s what I call “tatoo-worthy” & foundational in apologetics. God’s Word is “inspired” by Him & notice the “practicality” of how His Word can & should be used….. Teaching……learning the basics of God as our Creator and loving heavenly Father. Rebuking…..that’s a word reserved for a “post-confrontation” that expects no repentance or positive response. Correcting…..in Acts 18, Priscilla pulled Apollos aside the let him know he was just a little off on the role of the Holy Spirit, & since he was such a great preacher, she knew he needed this information before the next time he spoke at church. And finally, Training….the discipline of studying God’s Word can give us the building blocks for a godly life of integrity & obedience. Timothy knew the value of this since he had been “spiritually trained” by his mother and grandmother. I hope you can be with us @ HUBER’S on Wednesday for our “Post Easter Celebration”. And SUBSCRIBE if you’d like to so you’ll get the weekly devotionals every Sunday night. We’ll pick up with Nehemiah 8, as his story continues next week with another key word like ELEVATION, and trust me, it will probably rhyme! May the Lord bless you in every way possible. And may we truly help each other keep Him at the forefront and “finish well”…..together! Much love & prayers, George
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