DCLM Higher Everyday 12 September 2023 — Proper Use Of Position
DCLM Higher Everyday 12 September 2023 Devotional by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Proper Use Of Position
Topic: Proper Use Of Position
Text: Nehemiah 2:1-10
2Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
3And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
4Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.
6And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
8And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
9Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
10When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
Key Verse: “Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 2:4).
Message
Nehemiah served as the cupbearer of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, in the city of Shushan. Though highly placed and comfortable, his prestigious position did not hinder him from inquiring about “the condition of the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.” Our text reveals the outcome of his godly inquiry; his silent prayer to the God of heaven for his intervention while attending to the king, and the peculiar favour he was granted. This led to provisions and protection for his return to Jerusalem for the commencement of the rebuilding of its ruins.
This is indeed a challenge to all who are in exalted positions in any area of life and those who are aspiring to be. You can, like Nehemiah, use your God-given skills, talents or position to make life better for others. You can express concern for your nation through intercessory prayers. You can link up indigent friends or neighbours with people who can be of assistance to them. You can lead a friend to Jesus Christ the Saviour, today. Start now!
Quote: Make life better for others
Challenge: Have concern for the downtrodden.
Prayer for today: Help me Lord to see the plight of people who are suffering.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
