Nehemiah 1:1-13:31

We’re approaching the end of Let’s Rebuild!, a sermon series that has immersed us in the Book of Nehemiah.  As we prepare to wave farewell to Nehemiah—but not to the necessary and continuous hard work of building, rebuilding and maintaining healthy and robust communities of faith—let’s give thanks together.

Thank you, Nehemiah, for showing and reminding us that

• Prayer is the first, last, central and ongoing act of life
• Very short prayers, even silent ones, are taken seriously by the Lord
• Obedience requires both prayer and posting guards (taking wise and obedient action)
• God puts “pieces of himself” into our very human hearts: his will, his wisdom and his good purposes for his people and the world
• Our “enemies” can be gifts from God to challenge, strengthen and help keep us dependent upon the Lord
• Good leadership is demonstrated by listening well
• Godly leadership is temperate, humble and courageous
• Anger, properly pondered and processed with God, can be an energy source for fruitfulness (This applies to all of our emotions).
• Stress and pressure reveal character; character reveals what we really believe about God
• Demonstrating costly generosity, especially to those in need, is an essential part of life together in the covenant of God
• The Word of God needs to be listened to attentively and put into practice
• Weeping, from deep gratitude and joy or deep grief and sorrow, is an appropriate response to hearing God’s Word
• Some of the most serious threats to our life together come from within our own hearts and attitudes
•  “Success” and faithfulness aren’t the same
• There is room for everyone in doing God’s will together
• Celebrating the ways we experience “the goodness of God in the land of the living” is an essential practice of a healthy community
• God really does “remember” us, our names, our work and our prayers, because God “remembers” his covenant

What was missed on the above list—for what would you like to say a “thank-you” to Nehemiah and the God he served?