serving God and being thoughtful

Nehemiah 1-4

When Nehemiah hears about the poor state of Jerusalem and the Temple:

1. he mourned and fasted
2. he confessed God's character - great and awesome, faithful, loving
3. he confessed the sins of his people
4. he asked for mercy
5. he asked for grace according to God's past promise
6. he prayed according to "delight in revering [His] name"
7. he practically went before King Artaxerxes and asked for permission, royal authority, and financial support

When he got to Jerusalem:

1. he assessed the current condition
2. he organized workers
3. they planned the work
4. they worked diligently
5. they adapted and improvised as opposition developed against them
   

In my own experience, I am currently wrestling with whether or not I am "doing" too much.  On the one hand, I am torn by Christ's statement in Luke 12:48: 

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

On the other hand, I am torn by God's word's in Psalm 46:10:

"Be still, and know that I am God"

The temporary conclusion I have come to (especially when considering the life of Paul, and particularly his statements in Philippians 3:7-21) is that Psalm 46:10 addresses the attitude of my heart, not necessarily the business of my lifestyle.  I think it is possible for me to be focused and intentional about honoring God and loving Him all the while "doing" a bunch of stuff; He is primarily concerned with the attitude of my heart.  As my focus becomes more of Him and less of me, then the logical consequence is that, like Christ, I will desire only to "do" the Father's Will - nothing more, and nothing less. 

Another case study is Mary and Martha; Martha's actions weren't evil, she was just missing the principal priority of sitting at the feet of the Master.  The goal is certainly not to "do" a bunch of stuff for God; He doesn't need my help to do anything (He spoke the universe into existence, for crying out loud!).  The goal is for Christ to grow in my heart, that I would grow in Christ, that the essence of my life (body, mind/soul, and spirit) would each day be more of Christ and less of my self.  The goal is for me to lose my self in Him.

The Love Dare today focusses on being thoughtful.  Demonstrations of love are both spontaneous (reactive - from the attitude of the heart) and premeditated (proactive - from that attitude of the heart).  One of the truths that I am reminded of from this Love Dare is that "loving" requires work; because "love is an action".  Indeed, I am challenged personally to be more thoughtful and conscientious toward my wife.  She is such a wonderful person, and I need to be more thankful of what a blessing she is and more proactive about thinking about how to love her as Christ loves the Church - practically.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, I want to love you and seek you above all things.  I want to delight in revering your name.  I want to be close to you, and I want to worship you in spirit and in truth.  I pray that all of the "doing" of my life would be out of an overflow of my heart of love towards you - in response to your Grace.  I pray that I will not be distracted in a lifestyle of business and miss the priority of sitting at the Master's feet.  May I delight in you, may you be pleased with my life.  I pray that you will help me be more thoughtful and proactive about loving people, especially my wife.  Thank you for your many blessings, and thank you that I can come to you through the Blood of your Son.  I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who was thoughtful in His expression of your love.