Me? series begins

This morning we began a new teaching series in our young marrieds Bible Fellowship class called, Me? It’s a study through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. In my personal spiritual walk, outside of the Gospels and the story of Jesus Christ, I’ve probably been impacted by the stories of Nehemiah, Joshua and David more than any others.

The book of Nehemiah is a great book for young adults as it addresses leadership, service, maturity and knowing the heart of God. As I study through Nehemiah, I find myself being consistently challenged, as if God is speaking directly to me.

As I shared this morning from the first chapter of Nehemiah, I asked each class member to listen to hear if God was speaking to them about a specific area in their life; to ask, “God, is that for me”?

In chapter 1, as he learns of the disgraceful state of Jerusalem, Nehemiah finds himself wrestling with a huge burden. In this struggle, there are some questions that jump off the page for me:

V. 4- Does my heart hurt for the things that hurt the heart of God? or Do I ignore the needs of the world?

v. 5/6- Do I intercede on the behalf of others? or Is my prayer life simply a list of things I want God to do or give to me?

v. 6/7- Do I willingly and consistently confess my sin to God? or Do I overlook areas that I’d rather not address?

v. 8/9- Do I truly know what God has promised? Do I know Him deeply in all His richness? or Do I simply know a collection of stories, stories about God with really knowing Him in all His glory?

v. 10/11- Do I give thought to what God wants for my future? or Do I think I have a plan and simply hope He approves?

What is God saying to me? To you?