Great Project

"I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?" Nehemiah 6:3

“Nehemiah wasn’t about to be derailed by an ungodly alliance. Thus far, no spears, swords, or arrows and actually been used; the only weapons were words. But Nehemiah remained resolute, guarding his life, as well as his God-given calling and work from the evil intentions of others. And he encouraged the people entrusted to his care to do the same. When the final plot was underway to lure Nehemiah into the temple of God and to manipulate him into breaking the law, he remained faithful to God’s boundaries. Nehemiah refused to sin against the Lord and remained steadfast in his life of obedience to God. This account demonstrates that godly boundaries can be established and maintained in a God-honoring way. As a result, Nehemiah is recorded in biblical history as one of the great men of all time.” TW pg 183-184

This verse and the story behind it has kept resonating with me ever since I read TW ch. 18. Why would I want to let anything get in the way of this “great project” that He is working in me? God promises that he has begun a good work in me and will carry it onto completion (Phil 1:6) and he has equipped me with all I need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3).

I want to live my life with the same attitude as Nehemiah. I want to keep pressing on and persevere, not letting anything hinder the progress of this “great project”, fixing my eyes on Jesus who is the author and the perfector of my faith (Hebrews 12:1-3).

It’s hard to apply this in life though. I wish I could say I had this attitude, that I never sway from the course of 0-5 eating, that I withstand temptations. I wish I could say I have completely surrendered everything to God… But I so often see that I make exceptions or push the limits. I long to have the same attitude as Nehemiah! So I continue pressing on...