Rise Up and Keep Your Word

We have reached the end of the Rise Up campaign.  The weeks have flown by, and I have learned so much.  Hearing the final sermon of the series in person made it that much more impactful.  Enough lollygagging.  We need to peel back the layers of the final chapter.

Nehemiah 13 reveals people that are much like you and me.  They have put in the work to be better.  They have listened to God’s word.  They have praised.  They have promised.  They have dedicated the walls and their lives to the service of the Lord.  And then by chapter 13, they have moonwalked back into their old ways.  Well, not entirely back.  But they have definitely regressed.

Many chapters ago, they promised the Lord that they would separate themselves from the foreigners.  They would remain a holy people living holy lives.  As chapter 13 opens, we see that their stance on remaining separate has been altered.  They have allowed Tobiah, a foreigner, to move into the storeroom of the temple that was supposed to keep their grain offerings.  The grain offerings were essentially their tithes.  Why was the room empty?  Great question.

Not only were they mingling with foreigners, they also had neglected to bring their tithes to the church.  The Levites were supported by the tithes that other Israelites brought to the church.  Since the children of Israel were not supporting the Levites, the Levites had to go out and tend to their own crops.  They needed food to survive.  Their ability to attend to their calling was greatly diminished.  Clearly, the thrill of the constructed walls and fulfilled promises had slowly dwindled for the children of Israel.  They were too caught up in everyday life to support the Levites and the temple.  Now an empty room at the temple was able to be filled by someone that had no place there.

We know that the children of Israel are not in this predicament alone.  This has been a great series full of challenges.  When that fresh sermon hits on Sunday, I am determined and committed to change.  Child, by noon on Monday, I can be saying forget it all!  When life gets serious and we are not floating on a high from a good word, it can be extremely difficult to remain committed to living holy lives.  That is normal.  That is natural.  Since we know that it will happen, we have to take steps to keep ourselves on fire for the Lord.

Accountability goes a long way.  Over and over again, we have heard that it is much easier to live a holy life when you are connected to a community of believers.  See, being surrounded by believers is not a sentence to a boring life.  It is an opportunity to have God fearing people in your life that can help give you clarity when you are struggling. You will be more likely to keep your word if you are doing life with people that have made the same commitments.

Our journey through Nehemiah was a roller coaster.  Honey, we went up, down, and all around.  But in the end, I saw people that were very much like me.  They had the opportunity to live life differently.  They had the chance to make better choices.  And they did.  Yes, they fell down and missed the mark, but Nehemiah helped them remove the traces of their dance with foreigners from the temple.  The Levites were able to resume their duties.  The children of Israel went back to bringing their tithes to support the ministry.

Just like Nehemiah and the children of Israel, we have a choice.  We can continue to live broken down lives, or we can take the challenge to rise up.  We have the power to rise up within ourselves, within our homes, within our community, and within the world at large.  Are you ready to RISE UP yet?  I am.  #wepreach

Questions, Questions, Questions:

• What sermon in the Rise Up campaign has been the most impactful?
• Have you been challenged to make any changes? If so, what changes have you made?
• Share your favorite moment from the Rise Up campaign on social media, with family, or with friends. Rise up to the challenge.