Investing in Your Sphere of Influence: Strategies from Nehemiah
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
- Nehemiah 2:17-18
God gifted Nehemiah with a wide and impactful circle of influence: from tradesmen to district rulers, to the king of Persia. Nehemiah used the influence God provided through his secular position as cupbearer to the king to successfully lead a group of Jews to Jerusalem to rebuild the city wall.
The book of Nehemiah opens with his personal account of mourning, fasting, and praying on behalf of the Jewish people (Nehemiah 1:4). In a moment during his daily service, when asked by King Artaxerxes “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? What is it you want?”, Nehemiah’s immediate internal response was to “pray to the God of heaven and then answer the king” (v 4). The wisdom to first seek and depend on the Lord in the moment resulted in the king granting Nehemiah’s requests for provisions, protection, and time to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah was a layman, not a priest or great ruler, yet his heart’s desire was to use his influence to preserve and restore stability and hope to the Jews. He continued to seek God’s direction as he led the people through the building process. Nehemiah refused the temptation to claim glory for himself and used every opportunity to publicly credit the Lord for his successes. He recognized that all his skills, talents, opportunities, and influence were generous gifts from the Lord.
Chuck Swindoll said, “God uses all manner of people in all manner of places doing all manner of work. Do you feel you must be ‘in ministry’ in order to serve God? Be encouraged; He is not limited by your vocation. In fact, God has placed you where you are for a purpose. Have this attitude about your work: ‘Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father’ (Colossians 3:17).”
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Father, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name (Nehemiah 1:11). Grant us favor that we may be effective, faithful, and obedient stewards of the spheres of influence you have entrusted to us. May the motives of our hearts and the work of our hands always come from a place of worship and desire to bring glory to your name. Amen.
ABOUT ROCKPOINTE CHURCH
RockPointe strives to provide a welcoming, family-friendly environment where people of all walks of life encounter the transforming power of a relationship with Jesus.
You will find RockPointe to be a place of imperfect, but genuine and authentic people seeking to glorify Jesus with their lives. Our hope is to point to the empowering grace of Jesus that transforms people to become impactful disciples for the kingdom of God.
The worship music is modern in style and highly gospel-centered in content. People are encouraged to passionately worship Jesus in “spirit and truth.” At RockPointe we value singing songs that are Christ-exalting and theologically rich.
We hold the Scriptures in high regard as the final authority in a person’s life. Messages at RockPointe are Christ-centered and will provide great insight as to what the Bible teaches about living your life for the glory of God. There is also a Family Room for parents to observe the services even while attending to their family needs.
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