Nehemiah 7:2, “I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.” (NLT)
Inspired by the sermon delivered at my church on January 15, 2017 by my brother in law.
We should desire to be superior in our faithfulness to God and fear of God. Superior in this sense means, to strive to be our best in, as opposed to competing with others. Our desire as Christians should be to pursue things that will have eternal value. The best superiority to achieve is faithfulness and fear of God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10; Psalm 111:10) and faithfulness is a result of having discipline. When you are obedient to the commands of God, you build discipline allowing you to live a righteous life.
Without wisdom and discipline how would we handle our finances? For leaders in the Church, how can we properly guide God’s people? If we are not first faithful to God, how can we be faithful in other areas of our life? These are fundamental qualities for our success in life and spiritually, that we can attain by asking God for it and intentionally modifying our behavior. For example, Solomon asked God for wisdom. In the end, how was he going to successfully lead God’s people without wisdom? How could God entrust such a great task to Solomon if he didn’t have the wisdom to handle it properly? Additionally, Solomon was able to manage his riches appropriately because of the wisdom given to him by God.
Dear Father, I desire to grow in wisdom and faithfulness to You. Guide me in every decision that I make because I want You to receive the glory for every outcome. May I be faithful and use Godly wisdom in my service to You and others in the faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!
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