When life is viewed through the lens of scripture, reaching your goals is not as important as having the right goals. Achieving your dreams is a good thing only if you’ve dreamed the right dreams, and in kingdom values the highest pursuit is not success but significance.
It is possible to succeed at the wrong thing. I’m not afraid of failure; I am more afraid that I might succeed at that which is unimportant. Many people spend their entire life climbing to the top of the ladder only to discover it was leaning against the wrong wall.
How can we stay on track? How can we live with meaningful purpose? How can we invest in significance? Lessons from Nehemiah:
Calling – Determine Your Direction
Three things about Nehemiah’s calling:
- Came from God
- Close to his heart
- Commitment of his life
Challenges – Defeat Your Difficulties
Four challenges you will certainly face:
- Fatigue – worn out. (“The strength of the burden bearers is failing …”)
- Frustration – weighted down. (“There is much rubbish …”)
- Fear – wrought up.
- Failure – written off. Their enemies taunted them – whatever they build if a fox ran on top of it, it would collapse. Some of them believed it … “we ourselves cannot build the wall.”
Conquest – Discover Your Identity
- Remember past victories. “Do not be afraid, remember the Lord who is great and awesome.”
- Reaffirm your cause. “Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
- Rally together.
- Resist fear. “When I saw their fear, I rose up and spoke, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord your God …”
- Resume work. “Half carried on the work while half watched for the enemy.”
- Rely on God. “But we prayed to our God.”
