04/26/2009  Agreements - Getting Serious with God:  Nehemiah 9 & 10 

There had been rejoicing. There was celebration. The wall was finished. The settlements established. The returning exiles realized just how far they had strayed from the will of Jehovah God of Israel. And now it was time for the whole assembly to get serious with God and agree to come back to the covenant. And that’s exactly what they did under the leadership of Nehemiah and the leadership team.

Many times in our own spiritual journey, we tend to stray from what we know God would have us do. As a fellowship of believers, we can easily get sidetracked and not be honest with ourselves. God knows how to get our attention! Nehemiah saw to it that the believing community would have a new start and a new agreement with God on what they had pledged to do. They actually put it in writing to seal their commitment to one another and to the Lord.

Getting serious about our Christian walk is a pursuit of joyful, obedient living based on the goodness and grace of God through Christ today. We learn from our predecessors in Scripture who serve for us as an example. We “get serious” with God because we experience the pain of wandering away from His will and the consequences of that pursuit. As a gentle but firm Heavenly Father, He leads us back to springs of living water and allows us to taste the bread of heaven. And the joy returns for the people of God! Christ renews His work in us and once again begins to transform our hearts from the inside out.

ADVANCING IN APPLICATION

1.       In what area am I most prone to wander away from God’s will? 

2.       When I choose other things over the Will of God, what am I saying about my Lord?

3.       What do I see as I reflect over my spiritual journey? The journey of my fellowship?

4.       What “agreements” do I need to make with the Lord Jesus Christ and His people?