Masters and their assistants

7 nov

🍯 *Drops from the honey comb* 🍯

👨🏻 *Their assistants also lorded it over the people.*

Nehemiah 5:15👨🏻

👨🏻 *Masters and their assistants* 👨🏻

🏔 *The governors before Nehemiah were a burden on the people. *

💰 They extracted money, food and wine from the people. 🍷

👣 *Their assistants also followed in their footsteps. * 👨🏻

❗️❗️*Masters need to be very careful as there are many eyes which 👀 *watch the master’s words, deeds and actions. *

❗️❗️ *They not only observe , but also follow the same* !

👸 God has given each human being an area to supervise, to manage, to lead , to GOVERN!

👸 *For most of the women, it’s their home! * 🏡

👩As we walk around our home, there are so many pairs of eyes, that quietly observe our words, deeds and actions!

🦎 *The lizard story*

Once I heard a speech where a woman said, “If a mother looks at a lizard and says, “Yay! It’s a lizard”, the children will follow suit and say, “Yay! It’s a lizard!”

But if the mother says, “Yuck! It’s a lizard!”, the children will certainly repeat the same.

👩‍👧‍👦 *The child simply mimics the words and actions of the mother. *

👀Our children are watching the way we

🗣 *speak with our house help*
💰 *handle money*
🗣 *speak with family*
🗣 *speak about family to others*
🙇🏻‍♀️ *have communion with our Lord*

👣 *May our footsteps be ones which we would want our children to follow! *

👩 *In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness*
- Titus 2:7👸

👩‍👧‍👦 *Set an example for the believers(children) in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.*
- 1 Timothy 4:12👩‍👧‍👦

Blessing or the Blesser!

In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king.  And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” Nehemiah 6:6,7

Sanballat challenged the integrity and intention of Nehemiah to build the wall. He raised up a suspicion among the people by setting up false prophets and to create a picture that “Nehemiah’s intention to build the wall was to become a king”.

Dear sisters, even now the enemy challenges, tests our faith and brings into light what our faith is really made of!

Spurgeon says:

Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.

Yes Trials shows what our faith is really made of!

The enemy tested Job’s faith:

Was Job’s faith resting on the Lord?

Or was Job’s faith resting on the Lord’s blessings and protection?

Job 1:9-11Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”

But Job, by God’s grace, proved him wrong. He proved that his faith rested on the Lord  and not on His blessings!

• Dear sisters, where do we stand when our faith is tested or challenged?
• Do we love the Lord for who He is and not for what He gives?
• How do we react when we are stricken by sickness or when we suffer financial loss or when our children suffer in any way?
• Do we murmur against the Lord? 
• Or do we see it as a test of faith, and come forth as a gold trusting in Lord’s sovereignty and faithfulness? 

Many waver in their faith, many forsake the Lord when the enemy touches the blessings they have. But May we dear sisters, stand tall in times of our troubles and prove that our faith rests on the Lord and not on the fleeting blessings!

Wisdom for the days

Nehemiah 6:4 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.

Though the enemies kept bothering Nehemiah, trying to distract him from the great work he did, the Lord gave Nehemiah the wisdom to react and respond back rightly. Nehemiah didn’t rebuke them for their treacherous scheming, but responded back wisely.

We in the end days, are called to lead our lives wisely dear sisters. We are in dire need of wisdom!

Wisdom to guard our relationship with the Lord,
Wisdom to be a virtuous wife, a godly mother,
Wisdom to speak, wisdom not to speak,
Wisdom to make the right decisions.
Without wisdom, we can never lead a life glorifying the Lord!

Proverbs rightly said:

Proverbs 16:16How much better to get wisdom than gold,to get insight rather than silver! 

Where shall we go? 
Where shall we run to get this wisdom? 
An electric bulb never glows unless it is connected to the source of electricity, 
A branch never give fruits unless it is connected to the vine, its source of life!

Should we not run to Source of the wisdom, to the throne of grace to get help in times of our need!

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Matthew Henry says,
“Let the foolish become beggars at the throne of grace, and then they are set to be wise.” 

Yes dear sisters, may we run to the throne of grace as beggars each day, crying out for His divine wisdom.

May we not be confident in our own understanding! 
May we not wallow in our own foolishness!
May we not be slack in asking Him!

He is the Lord who gives us GENEROUSLY, we don’t have enough because we don’t ask Him enough!

Do not be entangled

Nehemiah 6:3-4
And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.

A call to get entangled

There was a call to socialize, get diverted, spend time with worthless companies, as Nehemiah devoted himself to complete the Lord’s work.

Dear sisters, We too very often get diverted, get carried away, entangled with worldly affairs, as we dedicate ourselves to Lord’s service. what is that distract us or slow us down from our wholehearted devotion/service to the Lord:

• Worthless worldly companionship
• Worldly affairs that of no eternal values 
• Reputation/approval/fear of man
• Cares and anxieties of the world

Live free from bondage

But scripture clearly says, the children of God should lead a life of freedom, free from all the worldly bondage that slow us down and live wholeheartedly to please the Lord!

2 Timothy 2:4
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

1 Corinthians 7:32-33
But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife.

The Lord heard the groans and sighs of the Israelites under the Egyptian bondage, and delivered them mightily! May we dear sisters, cry unto the Lord, be delivered of all the bondages, May His truth set us completely free!!

John 8:32
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Blessing or burden?

Blessing or burden?

But the earlier governors—those preceding me— placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine.

Nehemiah 5:15

🏔The governors placed a heavy burden on the people. They took the forty shekels of silver that was allotted to them. In addition to that, they took food and wine.

🤴A governor is given to govern the people and the country. A governor is to help the people lead a better life. He is meant to be a blessing to the people.

💰 But , the governors became selfish and became a burden to the people. The love for money and comfort turned them into burdens. 

🚢 Jonah - a burden on the ship

🙏🏻God wanted Jonah to be a blessing to Nineveh. He wanted them to come to salvation through Jonah. But Jonah did not want that. He boarded a ship that went to Tarshish.

As Jonah failed to do the will of God ,the ship was about to be destroyed.

🏔 Jonah who was called to be a blessing became a burden to the ship.

Jonah was selfish. He did not want his enemy country(Nineveh) to repent when his own country was in sin. 

This selfish attitude caused him to become a burden and not a blessing.

Application

🙏🏻 God wants us to be a blessing in the place where He has placed us.

🙏🏻 When we do the will of God, we become a blessing. 

🏔 But when we become self-seeking, we become a burden to others. 

👩 A wife meant to be a blessing to the husband, becomes a burden when she demands worldly things and comforts for her own interest.

👩‍👧‍👦A mother meant to be a blessing to the children becomes a burden when she neglects to take care of them as she is busy with her own interests.

❓Are we a blessing or burden to those around us?

❓Are we doing the will of God or
❓Are we self seeking?

🙏🏻 May we be a blessing and not a burden to those around us! 

Pride or leading?

Pride or leading?

Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—. twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.

Nehemiah 5:14

😏 Pride or leading ?🛣

1️⃣2️⃣Nehemiah tells the people about his principle that he has been following for the past twelve years.
4️⃣0️⃣Forty shekels of silver was appointed to governors. A shekel could weigh anything between 8 to 16 grams. But Nehemiah did not take this.

🎺 This may sound like vain glory. But Nehemiah did not say all these to blow his own trumpet.

“He relates more particularly what his practice was,
❌ not in pride or vain-glory, 
❌ nor to pass a compliment upon himself, 

🔆but as an inducement both to his successors and to the inferior magistrates to be as tender as might be of the people's ease.

- Matthew Henry.

🛣 Leading others by sharing your experiences 🛣

We have often encouraged others by sharing our own life experiences. I have been encouraged so much by the sisters on this forum.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Our family does not fail to meet twice a day to pray and read God’s word.
🕯 My mother used to pray till an entire candle burnt out.
⏰ I wake up at 3 am to pray to the Lord.
🎥 I did not let my children watch movies.
🙏🏻I bless my daughter with the Aaronic blessing before she leaves home.

These are some encouraging words I have listened from some of the wonderful women on this forum.

🛣 They were not meant to encourage others and guide them along the right path. They were did with a heart free from pride. 

Application

😊If your words would encourage others, I request you to not stop yourselves.

🕯 Let your words, experiences be a guiding light to them! 

Good promises and good performances

Good promises and good performances 

At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

Nehemiah 5:13

🙏🏻The rich Jews made a promise to Nehemiah.
😇They made the promise with a cheerful heart.

“This cheerfulness in promising was well, but that which follows was better: They did according to this promise, and adhered to what they had done*.”

Good promises are good things, but good performances are all in all.

-Matthew Henry

Going back on a promise

Matthew Henry quotes an incident from Jeremiah where the Jews had failed to keep a promise they had made.

🤗King Zedekiah proclaimed emancipation for the Hebrew slaves in Judah.

⛓Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.

Jeremiah 34:9⛓

🙏🏻The people and the officials enter into this covenant and release the slaves.

❓ What happened next?

🤔But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

Jeremiah 34:11 🤔

🙁How terrible the slaves would have felt!

😢To gain their freedom and lose it so quickly!

🤴 In the case of Nehemiah, there was no king.
😇But the people stayed true to the promise they made. 

Application

Promises should never be made lightly. That's why the Bible says, "When a man makes a vow to the LORD ... he must not break his word but must do everything he said" (Numbers 30:2)

💔 Breaking a promise means breaking a person’s heart. 
💔 The Hebrews would have felt heartbroken to be enslaved again!

😇It may be a simple request.
🍪Making a snack your child requested.

But when we don’t live up to the promise we have made, we break a person’s heart and the trust we have earned! 

May we put in a little extra to keep the promises that we have made! 

🙏🏻 Prayer

Thank you, heavenly Father, for always keeping your promises. Help us to keep our word so that we can be faithful like you and people can count on us.  In Jesus, Amen.